Counter Force
by TypeMoonFreak
Summary: Sequel to my previous fic "Fate/Stay With Me". Arcueid approaches Shirou and asks for his help after attaining the power of a Counter Guardian in order to stop the resurrection of a powerful Dead Apostle Ancestor known simply as "The Dark Six".
1. Rebirth

ACT I - Rebirth

"Shirou! Shirou!" Saber called to the lifeless body of her Master. The two of them had won the Grail, there should be no reason to warrant this outcome. What about her wish? The spirit in the Grail known as "Gaia" told her that her wish would be granted? Another unexplained phenomenon was that Saber did not feel her prana draining away, without the constant flow from a Master Servants were not supposed to be able to stay in the world.

Instead she began to feel strange, as if the exact opposite was occuring. Instead of feeling weaker she began to feel stronger, much, much stronger.

"Just what on Earth is going on? The two of you won right?" Aiah Cromwell the former Master of the Servant Archer and an aquaintance of Saber had a confused look on her face.

"Don't worry, he'll be back. Just give it a moment." A woman they had just met earlier said. Her name was Arcuied Brunestud, a vampire. It was her that was responsible for the current events and reactivated the Holy Grail Wars that were supposedly stopped.

"Maybe you should start explaining yourself then. You seem to know quite a bit about what's going on here." A man with many wounds on his body said as he laid on a piece of rock with a priest named Ciel healing his body. His name was Waver Velvet, the former Master of Rider. He participated in the War to figure out why they had started up again.

Arcueid sighed as if she didn't want to explain herself and took on a rather bored expression. She sat upon a rock on the top of the platform the group was on. "I'm not a normal vampire. I'm what's known as a True Ancestor, I have no need to drink blood. In fact I detest the thought of it." She explained as she crossed her legs and arms. "I was able to recreate all this through an ability I have called Marble Phantasm. Basically, if something exists within Earth's rules I can make it happen. I guess you could call it being in tune with nature." She began to kick a small pebble with the tip of her shoe.

"So Shirou-kun will come back?" Ciel asked as she finished tending Waver's cuts. She was equally worried about him as everyone else. What kind of wish could he have made that would lead to his death? She cast a glance at his lifeless body, the blade of a sword was protruding from his chest. Just as she was about to look away his body began to glow with a faint white light. "What in the world?"

Saber stood up and backed away from her Master's body, and it appeared as if he was slowly melting into the ground. The group stared at the event as Shirou's body was absorbed into the earth. The Grail which had not yet dematerialized began to make a humming sound, creating a windstorm inside the hollowed out mountain.

Everyone looked up and held onto whatever piece of rock was nearest to them to keep them from blowing off the platform. Only Arcueid stood as if untouched by the wind, her eyes brightened as if she was expecting what was going to happen. No, rather she knew what was about to happen.

Saber shielded her eyes from the wind and grabbed onto Aiah to keep her from losing balance in the gale. Just as quickly as the wind started it stopped, the Grail pulsing with light. A figure was seen being lowered down from it's interior bathed in a golden light. The figure was laid lightly on the ground and the bright light was cut off, revealing an uninjured Shirou laying on the stone ground.

Saber and Aiah ran to his body and knelt by him, finding he did not look the same as he had previously. His skin was reverted to his natural white color, his hair also returned to it's natural color which was a light shade of brown. After a few moments, the Grail floating above the platform faded steadily from existance having fullfilled the wishes of the two winners of the War.

The cave returned to almost complete darkness save for the phosphorecent algae on the walls giving the area a faint green glow. After the Grail had disappeared Shirou's body started to convulse as if every muscle in his entire body was reactivating. Everyone on the platform stopped and looked as his body shook uncontrollably.

After a few seconds Shirou's eye's shot open and he grabbed onto whatever was nearest to him at the time which was Saber. Shirou gasped loudly and squeezed Saber's shoulders as he began to fill his lungs with air. He looked up at who he was leaning against and saw that it was Saber, he saw that she had a combination of both concern and happiness in her eyes and it had almost brought her to tears. Shirou gave her a reassuring smile, "Didn't I tell you that I'd see you soon?"

Shirou was no longer the man he was earlier. He felt power coursing though his veins the likes of which he'd never felt before. There was also something he sensed inside of him, a presence like a far off voice in his head telling him something. 'Alaya' is what his instincts told him it was, the spirit of all humans much like Gaia was the spirit of Earth.

"Shirou?" Saber called out to him, he seemed to be in a trance as he just clung to her mindlessly. Unfortunately due to the magical bond between them being cut upon Shirou's "death" she could no longer sense his well being. It almost felt like half of her was just taken away. "Shirou, are you alright?"

Apparently "alright" is the word that seemed to return Shirou to normal and he released his grip on Saber and stood up on the cold, stone floor. "Remind me to never do that again." he said sarcastically as he looked at everyone. They were all staring at him except for Arcuied who was leaning against a large piece of rock with a smirk on her face. "Welcome back, Mr. Counter Guardian." she said with a playful tone in her voice.

"Would you like to tell me what you hoped this would accomplish then?" Shirou asked her, something told him there was more to this than she let on.

Arcueid put her hands on her hips, "The fact of the matter is I need your help. I've been waiting for a Counter Guardian for a long time."

"Forget it. Unless some interfering force tells me I'm supposed to go with you I don't owe you anything." He looked at everyone scattered about the top of the platform. "Let's get out of here. I need to talk with Rin and Sakura before I leave." Saber's eye's widened as she heard the word "leave".

"Shirou, are we going somewhere?" She asked as everyone else started to make their way down the steps save for Arcuied who looked unhappy.

"Yeah, something is telling me I should go back to the Burial Agency with Ciel." he nodded. Wherever he was going, Saber planned to follow. She no longer required a constant supply of prana to stay in the world thanks to the Grail, and she would follow Shirou to the ends of the Earth and back.

They all made their way out of the cave including Arcuied who was no doubt tailing Shirou. Her arms were crossed as she walked, her long skirt swaying with each step. Dispite her attitude she was actually very graceful in her movements as if she was royalty.

***

"You know the only reason your wish was granted was because of me. The least you could do is hear me out right?" Arcueid said as she walked behind Saber and Shirou. The rest of the group had already gone their separate ways, Ciel took Waver back to the Church for some additional treatment. Aiah, after reluctantly saying goodbye to Shirou planned to return home to her family.

"Fine, but once we get to my place out discussion ends." Shirou couldn't deny the fact that Arcuied was in fact the person responsible for allowing him the chance to become a hero.

"Hee hee, thanks!" she said with a large smile and hugged Shirou around the neck from behind.

Saber gritted her teeth and a vein could be seen poking out of her forehead as she saw Arcueid hug Shirou.

"Basically the situation is my sister is planning something big with the other Dead Apostle Ancestors. She's extremely powerful and I can't beat her on my own, therefore I want you two to help me. If you and a few of my other friends join me we should at least be able to slow her down." Arcueid explained her situation vaguely.

At the mention of these so-called Dead Apostle Ancestors Shirou began to get a strange feeling in his gut. Alaya was telling him to go with Arcueid. It was almost like an urge making him want to do things he normally wouldn't, you could call it an "interfering force." Shirou uttered a sigh, it was almost like his free will had been altered slightly to do whatever Alaya told him.

"Crap."


	2. Kaleidoscope

ACT II - Kaleidoscope

After a few minutes of speaking with Arcueid, he convinced her to let him say goodbye to Rin, Sakura and Rider before they left for wherever they were going. Saber however was still wary of Arcueid and not ready to let her out of her sight while in Shirou's company, and she was not up to the idea of going with her at all. Saber clearly had a few things to say but was also not up to speaking much while around Arcueid.

"Look Arcueid, why don't you just go home for the night alright? I'll go back to the cave tomorrow night and we'll talk more then." Shirou said as he looked up at the night sky, it seemed like they had been in that cave forever but in reality it had only been a couple of hours.

"Tomorrow night? That's too late, what about tomorrow morning?" She suggested making Shirou give her a confused look.

"Morning? Aren't you a vampire? I thought they couldn't go out during the day." Shirou asked while tilting his head in confusion. Saber also seemed to be interested as she dropped the cold gaze she was giving Arcueid and seemed generally interested in the answer.

"I told you I'm not a typical vampire. Geez, you sound just like the boy I'm dating." Arcuied sighed and crossed her arms. "Well see you Shirou. I'll be back in the morning so you'd better be ready." Without waiting for Shirou's answer she turned and began to walk away, leaving with calling him by his first name.

Shirou and Saber looked at each other. "Did she say dating?" Saber asked as she tilted her head and watched Arcuied walk away. "Who could fall in love with such an odd person?"

"She's rather forceful isn't she?" Shirou said to himself and brushed a hand through his hair, his skin looked whiter than it had before and he glanced at his arms. He had just now noticed his appearance had changed back to what he used to look like; he wondered what the purpose of such an action was.

"Shirou?" Saber had started to walk passed the gate of the Emiya residence but she turned back to look at Shirou who she realized wasn't following her.

Shirou snapped back as he heard Saber call his name. "Sorry, right behind you."

The couple passed the gate and walked across the lawn together and opened the door. Inside the house was dark and Shirou gathered that everyone had already turned in for the night. Shirou was sort of disheartened at the fact since he wanted to speak with everyone. He walked through the dark hallways and opened the sliding door that was next to his room, in the darkness Shirou could see (surprisingly well thanks to his new power) Sakura and Rider sleeping on futons next to each other. Sakura's breathing was slow and even, indicating she was asleep.

Shirou closed the door quietly with a sigh and he turned around to see Saber behind him. "You can talk to them in the morning Shirou, but for now let's get some rest." She placed a hand on his shoulder.

Shirou nodded and the two of them returned to Shirou's old room. Shirou left the room as Saber changed and he went to the bathroom to do the same. As he returned and slipped into the futon that lay next to Saber's, he realized that this might be the last time that he may get to stay in his own house for a long time. He thought of Sakura, Rider, and Rin and what would he say to them in the morning? Sakura would no doubt take the news of him leaving badly.

"Shirou, are you sure your body is fine? You seem different." Saber turned in her futon and asked, one of the straps on her shoulders hung off and her hair which she had let down was hanging just passed her shoulders. She has a curious look in her eyes. She'd seen Shirou die, and she was still worried if everything had gone alright in his re-creation.

"I do feel a little different, but nothing feels wrong or out of place." Shirou replied, reassuring Saber who started crawling closer to him. She'd been acting differently since Shirou had returned, for example she seemed more like Sakura who was worried about him all the time. It most likely had to do with the fact that she was forced to watch him die painfully and she didn't want to experience that again. "Saber, what are you doing?"

Saber had crawled next to him and she laid her head on his chest, her right arm on his shoulder. Her eyes closed as if she was listening to his heartbeat. "At least this is something that won't ever change." she whispered as if to herself and fell asleep.

"Saber..." It seemed her real feelings had started to come out now that she was tired. Shirou raised an arm and rested it on Saber's back. He closed his eyes and released a relaxed sigh, he felt oddly comfortable with Saber lying against him even though bits of her hair were tickling his collarbone however he soon fell asleep under the warmth of her body.

***

Shirou awoke the next morning to the sound of birds outside of the window. He opened his eyes and stretched out his arm finding that Saber wasn't there. "Hm, it's not like I expected her to stick around. She probably got embarrassed and ran off when she woke up." He smiled to himself and rolled out of bed, got dressed, and put his futon back in the closet. He walked through the hallway and to the living room where he found that Sakura and Rider were already awake.

"Good morning Senpai." Sakura poked her head out of the kitchen and greeted him with a large smile before heading back into the kitchen. Shirou attempted to help her cook but Sakura wouldn't have it. "Just relax this morning Senpai; you had a rough night from what we've heard from Saber-san." It seemed as if Saber had been awake long enough to fill the two of them in on the night's events. Shirou didn't think Saber had told them of his plans though as Sakura didn't seem to be sad. Shirou uttered a sigh knowing in the end he'd have to be the one to tell them.

"Is Rin awake yet?" Shirou asked as he attempted to sneak through the doorway of the kitchen to help Sakura.

She wagged her finger and frowned at him. "No, she's not awake yet Nee-san isn't much of a morning person. Now go sit back down." Defeated, Shirou returned to the sitting room where Rider and Saber were watching the news on T.V.

"Good morning Shirou. You were rather late last night." Rider said as she turned around to greet him. Saber turned around to greet him as well.

"Sorry about that Rider, I won't be so late next time. Were you able to sleep well?" Shirou asked as Sakura finished breakfast and brought out a large tray. Rin almost never showed up to eat breakfast. Shirou kept telling her it would be better if she ate as much as she could, but Rin always insisted on skipping breakfast even if she was awake. After the four of them ate and spent a little time chatting Rin walked into the room.

"Good morning everyone." She said as Sakura poured her a glass of juice. She yawned loudly and began to sip at her juice; even though she was dressed Rin still resembled a newly risen zombie. Clearly she wasn't a morning person.

Shirou thought it would be best to wait to explain what happen the night before to everyone after Rin was fully awake, so he just continued to chat amongst Saber, Sakura, and Rider though Rider was never very talkative.

After a few minutes a loud knock came from the door. Shirou got up to answer it however he had no idea who it could be as he wasn't expecting anyone. He opened the door to find Arcuied standing out front. "Arcuied? What are you doing here?" Shirou didn't think she knew where he lived but she must have followed him the night before.

She stood in the doorway and put her hands on her hips. "I told you that I'd come back in the morning didn't I?" Shirou thought back and realized she never gave him a chance to answer her question anyway, she just took it upon herself to show up here.

"Senpai? Who's at the door?" Sakura came up behind him and saw Arcueid standing at the door. "Do you know this person Senpai?" She eyed both Shirou and Arcuied. It wasn't strange for him to come back with some strange girl, but it was another thing for her to just randomly show up. What's more she was a beautiful foreigner.

"Shirou, is that your girlfriend? Can I come in and see your house?" Arcueid asked excitedly and looked over Shirou's shoulder at Sakura, who blushed at her question.

"No, she's not my girlfriend. I guess you can come in and meet everyone, I have a lot of explaining to do now." Shirou sighed and let Arcueid through the door who seemed to bounce happily as she looked around the living room before sitting down next to Saber. Shirou didn't think she'd just show up randomly like this, it felt like he was being rushed out of town. His felt a churning of the spirit of Alaya within him. "Yeah, yeah I know." He said as if it would listen to him.

Shirou went to the living room and sat between Saber and Sakura, he began to explain everything that happened the night before. As expected Sakura seemed worried about his well being after she'd heard that Shirou had died in that cave. Sakura, Rin, and Rider casting side glances at Arcuied after hearing about what she'd been doing and about her cause for everything.

"We're coming with you Senpai. You're not leaving on your own again." Sakura insisted. The idea seemed crazy to Shirou, he didn't think she'd realized the gravity of the situation he would be in.

"Sakura... this is the most dangerous thing I'll ever do. I can't allow you, Rin and Rider to be put into even more danger for my sake when I'm putting myself into it for all of you." Shirou pleaded with her but Sakura wouldn't hear it, in fact she seemed to get angry.

Sakura leaned over and slapped Shirou across the face and everybody else at the table gasped save for Arcueid who sat and watched the spectacle with interest.

"I'm tired of hearing you say that! For once in your life can't you be glad someone is willing to step in and help you!?" Tears began to stream down her face as she poured out all of her feelings onto him. "You leave for years, never sending any word that you're okay and then you come back into my life and make me remember the happiness we shared though high school! Now you want to leave again and leave me alone when I have the power and ability to fight along with you!?" Sakura couldn't understand why Shirou wouldn't let her come with him. She and Rider had saved his life more than once and proved that they could help him, friends and loved ones should fight side by side not leave each other out. That was her view on it.

"Sakura..." Shirou started but Sakura held up her hand and Shirou shut his mouth.

"Rider, Nee-san and I are coming with you. I will not sit by again while you knowingly put yourself into situations where you come home hurt." Spewing all of her anger and sadness onto Shirou she finally gathered up the courage to say what she'd always wanted to but never did. After she took a deep breath she stood up and stormed out of the room with Rider at her heels no doubt to calm her down.

Shirou was left completely speechless by Sakura's outburst. Never has he seen her like that, Shirou knew he wouldn't be able to refuse her now. Even Rin, who could always think up something to defuse a situation was at a loss for words.

"Shirou... Sakura does have a point. She feels left out, she wants to be by your side just as I do. Would you deny her?" Saber placed her hand on Shirou's back and looked at him seriously.

Rin finally regained her composure and spoke up, "So if there was a way to make Sakura and I as powerful as a Servant then you would have no complaints about letting us go with you?" Apparently Rin too was insistent on going with Shirou and her eyes lit up as if she had some kind of idea.

"Rin, what are you getting at?" Shirou asked curiously. Clearly she was up to something.

Rin smirked widely. "You remember the Gem Sword? Well I managed to recreate something similar called a Kaleidostick. It will give its user extreme magical knowledge and extra prana from alternate universes using the Second Magic."

Shirou looked interested, "Would you mind showing me? It sounds interesting. If it passes my inspection I'll consider letting you and Sakura go with me." He cast a glance over at Acruied who seemed to be indifferent in the situation. In fact, she still looked a bit shook up at Sakura's scolding.

"Sure, I'll be right back." Rin got an excited look on her face and hurried out of the house and across the lawn to her room in the outbuilding. Shirou and Saber looked at each other, wondering what kind of display of power this "Kaleidostick" would put out. Soon Rin returned with what looked like a Gem Sword. "This will be interesting, I haven't tested it yet." She said as she swung the blade through the air, the air seemed like it was vibrating around Rin and the Kaleidostick started to glow brightly. Shirou could practically feel the energy pouring into the blade from the other universes.

Soon the blade transformed into a magic wand-looking stick and Rin began to sprout cat ears and a tail (with a small bow and a bell on the end of course). Her clothes changed as well, now she was wearing long, red leather boots that almost went up to her inner thighs and a large yellow bell around her neck. Rin's shirt also turned into a red coat with the bottom ending at her waist. A pair of red leather gloves with finger holes also appeared on her arms, the long gloves ending at her elbows.

Shirou watched the transformation and once she was done he couldn't believe his eyes. Was something like this on purpose? Did Rin have some kind of costume fetish that Shirou didn't know about?

"Rin?" Saber asked her while Shirou just stared dumbfounded at what Rin had become.

Rin perked up her cat ears at Saber's question. "Nope! I'm Kaleido Ruby!" Rin struck a pose much like some magical girl off of a television show.

"Rin is it supposed to turn you into a cat?" Shirou asked as he stared at her tail which was wagging about of its own accord.

"I told you, I'm not Rin. I'm now Kaleido Ruby. I was transformed by the Kaleidostick, I made one for Sakura too but who knows what she'll turn into. By the way, while I'm like this I can probably fight evenly with a Serv- waaaaaah!" Rin stepped forward and tripped over herself falling towards Shirou and landing right on top of him. Shirou had smacked his head on the table and somehow Rin's lips ended up attaching themselves to Shirou's.

While Shirou lay there unconscious Saber pulled "Kaleido Ruby" off of Shirou. Saber looked at her angrily, "Rin what's gotten into you?" she glared at Rin. She'd never say so, but Saber was angrier about Rin kissing Shirou than knocking him out.

Rin rubbed the spot on her head where she'd hit it. "Owwww. Sorry about that Shirou... oops." Just then she seemed to realize what she'd done. She crawled over to Shirou and began to pat him on the cheeks. "Wake up Shirou!" she called out to him and Shirou finally opened his eyes.

"Rin? Oh boy, I wasn't dreaming was I?" Shirou said in a rather dazed voice as he looked back up at Rin.

"Hold on Shirou, I'll go get Sakura." Shirou was still a little dazed and Rin was for some reason in no condition to be looking after him so Saber took it upon herself to get Sakura who followed her out to the living room. She stopped in her tracks once she saw Rin.

"Nee-san? What in the world are you doing?" Sakura asked Rin who was on her knees in front of Shirou.

Rin waved her arms, "It was an accident Sakura, I tripped and fell on Shirou. He's hit his head pretty good." She nervously scratched her head. It almost seemed like she had a different personality while under the influence of the Kaleidostick, hopefully Rin would be able to reverse it as her new persona seemed rather klutzy and danger prone.

Sakura knelt next to Shirou and took a look at his head. "I appreciate the effort, but I think I'll be alright." Shirou sat back up and the world spun once. "Whoa." Apparently he was more dazed than he thought; at least the craftsmanship of the table had proved itself against Shirou's hard head.

Arcueid watched the scene with interest and even looked a bit concerned as Shirou hit his head on the table. "So Zelretch's teachings have reached you have they?" she said seemingly to herself with a chuckle. She then hopped gracefully off the chair and looked at Sakura and the others. "I'll be back later to speak to you all. Until then have fun, I have something I need to do. Bye bye." She waved at them and strolled out the door.

After Arcueid left Rin seemed to gain a bit of control over her Kaleido Ruby persona and started acting more like herself. "Sorry about that everyone, that was unexpected and rather embarrassing." She blushed as she remembered that she'd accidentally kissed Shirou. "Anyway, I have one of those for Sakura too." she pointed at the table where a second Kaleidostick was sitting.

"Um, maybe I should just use it when I have to?" Sakura suggested, a little reluctant to try her sister's invention seeing as what it did to her.

"Sakura, I apologize for earlier. You have every right to be angry with me if that's how you've been feeling." Shirou spoke up and apologized to Sakura feeling that now was as good a time as any.

Sakura smiled. "That's okay Senpai. I've already forgiven you for that. Just promise me that you and Saber won't sneak out without us."

Shirou nodded. "Alright, I can't say no after what you said earlier." Shirou's thoughts turned to Aiah. She should have reached her homeland by about now, he wondered if he would ever see her again. He watched Sakura leave and Shirou thought that Sakura had changed; it was kind of refreshing to see her speak her mind for once.


	3. A Test of Power

ACT III - A Test of Power

"Shirou, where are you going?" Saber watched him get up and move towards the door.

"I'm going to the dojo, I haven't tested what this new body can do yet. I figure now is a good time. Would you like to join me?" Shirou turned to Saber and smiled.

Saber nodded, "Of course, I am interested in you as well. I mean what your body can do of course." She almost sounded like she had something else on her mind other than fighting.

Shirou shrugged and the two of them walked across the lawn to the dojo opposite of the outbuilding and near the shed. Shirou opened the sliding door and went inside the dojo, it looked just the way he'd left it after the summoning of Saber. Shirou grabbed a couple of shenai off the wall and tossed one to Saber who caught it. The two of them took a stance and prepared to duel each other.

It was Shirou who struck first, with speed he'd never seen from himself before he swiped at Saber's waist who blocked it and parried the wooden sword. Saber took the opportunity to stab at Shirou's stomach and he was quickly able to parry it.

"Alright Saber, I don't want you to hold back anymore. Give me everything you've got." Shirou smirked as he tried to hit Saber across the chest and she blocked it with a surprised look on her face.

"Are you certain Shirou? If I go full force I could seriously hurt you." Saber asked with a concerned look in her eye. Shirou was acting oddly as if he wasn't getting everything he could out of the fight. Normally Saber would have hit him by now but his body had become faster and stronger.

"I'm sure Saber, if I get hurt now it's because I did something wrong." Shirou came at her again and instead of striking at her front he jumped over her head easily and landed behind her back. Shirou aimed a quick strike at her back but Saber managed to twist her body around to block it.

"If you are that determined, than I can only honor your request." Saber pushed against Shirou's shenai and attempted to fling it from his hand but she was unable to do so. Shirou maneuvered his foot in between Saber's and attempted to trip her. She caught herself with her hand and did a backspring across the dojo she bent her knees and flung herself at Shirou. She was still apprehensive about taking him seriously but if it was what he requested then she assumed he knew what he was doing.

Saber skidded to a halt just before she slammed into Shirou and used her full momentum to deliver an extremely strong horizontal swing towards Shirou's stomach. Shirou twisted his wrist and with one hand blocked the blow Saber aimed at him with two. Shirou brought his arm upward and flung Saber's shenai out of her hand, it landed on the other side of the dojo and Saber rushed to retrieve it. Shirou ran after her and Saber managed to get there just in time to block the blow coming for her shoulder. She pushed with her knees and Shirou jumped back.

The two of them charged each other at the same time. They clashed and a loud crack filled the air as the couple's shenai collided, snapping half of the blades off where they struck each other. The broken shenai blades fell to the floor with a clatter. Neither of the two had even broken a sweat in the short fight yet the shenai lay broken on the floor.

"Shirou, that was amazing. If I did not have my Clairvoyance you would have beaten me." Saber was almost at a loss for words as Shirou kicked the handle of the broken shenai around the ground. His power was now clearly above that of an average Servant, and he was much more agile and precise with his strikes.

Shirou smiled. "Thank you Saber, I'm surprised the shenai broke though. Maybe they're just old?" It seemed that Shirou hadn't gained a good grasp on his strength yet if he'd assumed that the wooden swords on the ground broke because they were old. Saber knew that it was their strength that had broken them, not because it was old.

"Well, shall we go have some tea? I think before we all leave with Arcueid we should have at least more cup of tea together." Shirou said as he grabbed the broken shenai to throw in the trash.

Saber nodded, she was still surprised at Shirou's newfound fighting skills. She would now be proud to fight alongside him as he journeyed with Arcueid, hopefully for the greater good as she still didn't fully trust her. Saber walked across the lawn next to Shirou as they left the dojo behind. The sun was shining brightly and there was a cool breeze blowing Saber's hair. She enjoyed days like these even though Shirou would probably request that they leave with that Arcueid girl soon.

Shirou and Saber entered the house and passed Rin, Sakura and Rider sitting at the table discussing something. "Do you girls want any tea? I'm thinking about making some." He asked and all three of them nodded. He went into the kitchen and found the dishes soon preparing a hot batch of tea.

Everyone immensely enjoyed the drinks prepared by Shirou and they sat and talked for awhile afterwards. Rin, who had returned to normal somehow after using her Kaleidostick had finally gotten over her interesting ordeal with Shirou.

A knock came at the door when Shirou was busy putting away the cups and dishes. He assumed it was Arcueid so he let Sakura get the door. His suspicions were confirmed when she stepped over the threshold of the door and came into the kitchen where Shirou was finishing up cleaning. "Good afternoon Shirou, have you talked with your friends yet? We should leave as soon as possible you know." She said impatiently.

Shirou would have to get used to Arcueid's childlike personality over time. "Yeah, they're all coming. Where exactly are we going though?" Shirou asked as he took off his apron and hung it up.

"I talked with Ciel and we'll be going to the Burial Agency. She hasn't received word from them in awhile and she has a feeling something bad may have happened." She tapped her foot and waited for Shirou to come out of the kitchen with her.

She walked to the sitting room behind him and he let the others know what was going on.

"Ciel has already left. We should go quickly too if we want to help her out." Arcueid explained. She seemed like she was in such a hurry, Shirou wondered of Arcuied and Ciel were better friends then they led him to believe.

"We're already packed." Sakura chimed in. Shirou was a bit surprised at that fact, she really was serious about going with him. They must have done it when Saber and Shirou were in the dojo.

"Let's leave now then, don't worry about money I can take care of that." Arcueid smiled widely. It seemed everyone was ready to leave except for Shirou and Saber. Fortunately though Shirou didn't need to take anything with him as he didn't come back with anything. He was used to wandering around alone but in a group it would be a bit different.

Rin ran off to get something and Sakura watched her leave. Shirou wondered why Sakura didn't go and retrieve her bags. "Shirou, don't you need anything?" Arcueid asked him curiously.

Shirou shook his head, "Just the armor on my back. Anything else I can get through other means." Rin came back soon with a tiny looking briefcase. It looked no bigger than once someone would take to work. "Rin? Everything you're bringing is in that?"

Rin smiled, "Yeah, one of the things I was working on when you were gone is an improved version of Zelretch's Chest." The chest of Zelretch which Rin kept in her room was a separate dimension where you could keep anything no matter the size. "I managed to compress the dimension into the size of this small briefcase, everything Sakura, Rider, and I will ever need is in here." She seemed quite proud of her invention as she should be. The Second Magic was not to be taken lightly.

"Impressive." Arcuied smirked at Rin and the group stood up. "To Italy then!" Arcuied struck a dramatic pose, spreading her leg wide as she stood and pointed towards the sky with one hand on her hip.


	4. City of Ghouls

ACT IV - City of Ghouls

Apparently Arcueid had taken the liberty of getting a taxi for them. It was tight but they somehow all managed to fit into the small car as it drove to the airport. Shirou took solace in the fact that he was wedged between Saber and Sakura so the long trip wasn't a complete waste.

They walked through the terminals and after Arcueid paid for their tickets somehow all of them managed to make it on the same flight.

"This should be fun, I've never been on a plane before." Sakura said excitedly as she sat in the waiting area between Shirou and Rider. It was a new experience for Sakura traveling period, she'd never left Fuyuki City let alone Japan.

After awhile they boarded the plane and found that the rows were made up of three seats on each side. Shirou got into a window seat with Sakura next to him, Saber had a disappointed look on her face when she realized she wouldn't be getting to sit next to Shirou. On the opposite row were Arcueid, Rider, and Rin.

As the plane started to jerk upward into the air Sakura yelped and grabbed onto Shirou. Shirou chuckled and reassured her by patting her shoulder. Saber however didn't seem to mind flying as if she'd done it before.

"Saber, have you ever been on an airplane before?" Shirou asked curiously.

"Yes, I came to Fuyuki city on a plane with your father's wife." She answered, recalling the fourth Holy Grail War she was in many years ago.

Shirou looked across the row and saw that Arcueid, Sakura and Rider were all talking amongst each other about something indistinctive. Rider never did say much as she was thumbing through a magazine she'd gotten from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of her.

A couple of hours later Sakura had fallen asleep while holding his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. She must have been tired because he'd never seen her fall asleep like this before. Saber didn't seem to be too happy about Sakura getting to monopolize Shirou's attention on the plane ride and was thankful the rest of the trip went fast, soon they had arrived in the country of Italy.

The plane landed in the city of Rome and from there the group followed Arcuied to another taxi in which they had to endure another long car ride to the north.

"I can only take you as far as the town of Terni. I will go no further than that, strange things have been happening in those mountains lately." The taxi driver spoke ominously. Arcuied seemed to pay it no mind but Shirou was interested to know more.

"What kinds of strange things?" Shirou felt an ominous atmosphere as they drove along the desolate highway.

"Whole villages being wiped off the map, and rumors of monsters terrorizing towns near the mountains. It only began happening a few days ago, but if you ask me dark times are coming." The driver spoke again.

After about another hour the sun had went down. The taxi driver seemed to be more nervous as darkness enveloped the land. They passed a large road sign that indicated they were on the outskirts of Terni. "I am sorry, but here you must leave." He opened the door and ushered them out (After Arcueid paid the fee of course).

The town just seemed deserted but Shirou could feel the presence of something that wasn't human.

"I guess we go on foot now. The Agency isn't far from here but we have to pass through this town." A cold wind washed over the group making them all shiver. "Careful, I don't like this." Arcueid had dropped her playful demeanor and was now all business. Shirou was a bit relieved to find that she wasn't like that all the time.

The group started to walk into the barren town with little sound save for the wind rustling through the branches. The half moon in the sky shining brightly through the clouds.

Sakura stuck close to Shirou and Rider for the most part and Saber walked between Arcuied and Shirou. Rin stuck close to Sakura and prepared herself to fight anything that might jump out at them. There were no cars to be seen anywhere so the group just walked in the center of the road between the rows of old style houses.

The street lamps had all been broken, so the only light there was to go off of was the moonlight and no one with the exception of Shirou and Arcueid could see too well in complete darkness if it decided to shadow them all. It seemed like Arcueid was leading them north into the mountains.

As they passed a house Shirou thought he heard some movement inside, Arcuied had heard it too as she stopped in her tracks. The group stopped with her and Shirou took it upon himself to go look. Saber followed behind him but Arcueid held out her arm to stop her. "Just watch and see what he does."

Saber didn't like the idea of letting Shirou go alone, but after his display in the dojo earlier she knew he wasn't defenseless. She reluctantly held her ground while Shirou opened the unlocked front door and went inside.

Not long after Shirou went inside quite a few crashes and bangs could be heard from inside along with some guttural noises. In just a few seconds the noises stopped as a splash of blood could be seen splattered across one of the windows. Fearing the worst Saber ran towards the house, "Shirou! Are you alright?" She called through the opened doorway.

Shirou poked his head out of one of the side rooms. "Of course, it was just a zombie. You worry too much sometimes, I appreciate it though." he offered Saber a smile and he came out of the house with not a drop of blood on him.

Saber let out a relieved sigh as she saw Shirou was unhurt. However at all of their commotion moaning sounds seemed to come from everywhere. Shirou recognized the noises as more of some vampire's familiars. The moaning grew louder as the living dead seemed to come from everywhere. Inside houses and out of alleyways.

Arcueid clenched her fists and prepared to fight. "I suggest we get in a circle, otherwise they'll just overwhelm us." she said and looked over her shoulder as everyone began to back into each other.

Saber had her sword in her hand, Rin had her jewels, and Sakura had summoned numerous wolf-like combat familiars from the shadows.

"Trace, on." Shirou activated his Magic Circuits and after a glow of light appeared from his hand he projected a jet black longbow. He began to fire rapidly into the shambling horrors nearing the group and when he started attacking so did everyone else.

Saber protected the group by rushing around and felling any of the Dead that got too close for comfort. Sakura's shadow wolves jumped in and began to rip through the legs of the zombies, immobilizing them long enough for Shirou to easily dispatch them with his bow. Arcuied was throwing gusts of wind into the group by raking her claws through the air, she then created air pressure around it which sliced the demons to bits. Rider meanwhile was fighting them off using her feet and spike like weapons.

Shirou's speed had greatly improved as had the accuracy of his projecting, his arrows deadly accurate as he could fire at least four every second with inhuman speed. One of the Ghouls reached Shirou but it didn't get far as he delivered a high kick to its chin, sending its head flying off of its shoulders. However no matter how many they killed they just couldn't seem to get anywhere as more were showing up by the second.

"Arcueid, they're not stopping. I think it's about time we leave!" Shirou was now worried about Rin and Sakura. Shirou, Arcueid and the Servants could probably fight them all night, but the others couldn't.

Arcueid looked around and found some trees they could run into leading into the countryside. "Through there, it's in the direction we need to go anyway. Make us a hole Shirou." She said as she caught a zombie mid jump and easily tore it in half.

"I am the bone of my sword." The air vibrated as he spoke the incantation and he projected a sinister looking sword with a spiral around the blade, rather like a drill. He mounted it on his bow, "Caladbolg!" he shouted and released the makeshift arrow. It impaled one of the zombies through the chest and he overloaded the weapon with his prana, making it break and explode violently taking a good fifty zombies with it and creating a hole out of their predicament.

"Into the trees!" Arcueid shouted. Rider grabbed Sakura and ran her swiftly through the hole followed closely by Rin. Saber, Shirou and Arcueid stayed back for awhile fending the Ghouls off as the others ran.

"Go on Saber, I'll be right behind you." Shirou turned to Saber who nodded and ran towards the opening, decapitating a couple Ghouls on her way out.

Shirou and Arcueid ran out together, the zombies grabbing at their heels as they ran. Rider was seen way ahead of them with Sakura in her arms. Saber turned back to see if Shirou and Arcuied made it out. The zombies seemed disinterested as the group ran away from them and they went about whatever business a zombie has when nothing is around to eat.

"Glad we got out of there. I don't think we could have taken an entire town." Rin panted once the group had reached a safe distance from Terni.

"Is everyone alright?" Saber asked and everyone nodded. No one seemed to be hurt.

"Let's keep going, the Agency's headquarters are within these mountains." Arcueid started walking up a steep hill covered in rocks. From what Shirou could tell, these hills led into some kind of valley. If need be he could ask Arcueid if they could stop for the night, though he didn't know if she'd be too excited about the idea.

The group didn't seem too reluctant to press on with Arcueid as they scaled the hills leading deeper into the mountains. Arcuied lead the group and Shirou brought up the rear with Saber at his side.

"Be careful, these hills seem kind of treacherous." Not a second after Shirou warned them Sakura took a bad step and fell backwards. Shirou caught her by the shoulders and stood her upright.

"Sorry Senpai. I'm just not used to this." She apologized with an embarrassed look and Shirou reassured her with a smile.

"How are you holding up Saber?"

She looked back at him and smiled, "I am uninjured from the battle and I still have plenty of energy left."

"Good to hear." Shirou replied. Up ahead Rin seemed to be talking to Arcueid about something. Among the few words Shirou caught were "Zelretch", "Dead Apostle Ancestor" and someone by the name of "Merem Solomon". Shirou had no idea what any of that meant save for Zelretch, Shirou knew the man was the one who taught the Tohsaka family quite a bit of magecraft and was the one that provided the blueprints for the Gem Sword. Other than that Shirou couldn't tell what they were talking about.

They reached the top of the hill and looked down upon a valley just as Shirou had suspected would be the case. Off in the distance were mountains and on top of the highest one Shirou could see what looked like a large building. The top of the mountain looked relatively flat from where Shirou was standing so he wouldn't be surprised if they had decent sized grounds.

"That's the Agency Headquarters." Arcueid said as she stood next to him, the wind blowing through her blonde hair. The higher they went the fiercer the wind became and only Saber seemed to be unaffected by it. Shirou didn't like the feel of the building even from this distance he could feel some horrible presence was inside that building. It didn't feel anything like when he'd been here previously, something had changed while he'd been away.


	5. The Burial Agency

ACT V - The Burial Agency

The group stood on the top of a hill overlooking a valley, the Agency was still a few miles ahead by the looks of things and they would have to traverse some rather rocky terrain to get to the mountain the Headquarters was on.

"What have you and Arcueid been talking about?" Shirou asked Rin curiously as they all began to decend the steep hill into the valley.

"I've been getting some information about the Agency. Apparently there's quite a few vampires sealed inside it's walls, even a couple Dead Apostle Ancestors." she explained as she stepped carefully down the hill.

Sakura, Saber and Rider were bringing up the rear and Arcuied was leading the group while Shirou and Rin were talking in the center. The night air was cool and there wasn't much light as they weren't near any kind of civilization. The lands close to the Agency should be safe but Shirou felt like something ominous was approaching.

"What are Dead Apostle Ancestors?" Shirou had heard the term used a couple of times yet he still couldn't gather anything about it. He figured they were a kind of really old vampire.

"Basically they used to be human and had their blood drained by a True Ancestor like Arcueid." Shirou cast a glance in front of him where Arcueid was walking. She didn't seem to be interested in their conversation and was walking silently at the head of the group. "They're extremely powerful and the Church has been trying to seal or eliminate them all for centuries." Rin explained.

"You said a Dead Apostle Ancestor is someone who had they're blood sucked by someone like Arcueid right? Arcueid told me she didn't need to drink blood though." The fact did seem kind of contradictory, why did things like Dead Apostles exist if True Ancestors didn't need blood.

"It's because the urge is still there. We have to use a portion of our power to supress it and unfortunately it never goes away, it's like a constant itch at the back of your mind and the only way to scratch it is to do something horrible." Arcueid spoke up. Shirou wondered where her playful personality went. He was actually starting to miss it.

The group reached the bottom of the valley and Arcueid began to lead them on a winding path up the mountains. The path was covered with loose rocks and looked trecherous to walk on. The path was unfamiliar to Shirou as this was not the way he got to the Agency when he first was there.

All this talk about vampires and Dead Apostle Ancestors was beginning to worry Shirou. He cast a glance back at Sakura. She smiled at him and Shirou returned it and looked back ahead. He would never be able to forgive himself if Sakura or Rin got bitten. He did however take solice in the fact that they had two Servants with them which would help greatly in defence, well technically one since Saber was no longer a Servant. Shirou wondered if Arcueid would go out of her way to save any of them if they got into trouble.

Saber sped up her pace a bit and began to walk next to Shirou as they walked up the mountain. For the most part the group was silent. As they neared the Agency Headquarters Shirou began to spot a large amount of ravens flying around, this was strange since ravens were only usually active during the day. It appeared Arcueid saw them also and started to walk faster as if she knew they meant something bad.

The group began their winding ascent up the mountain, the Burial Agency's Headquarters were perched on it's summit. The top of a mountain was really an interesting location for a building, especially one related to the Church.

"We're almost there. You should just let me do all the talking, they somewhat trust me more than they do the rest of you." Arcueid glanced back at them as she explained. The Agency knew Shirou as well since he spoke to the leader of the Agency a couple of times but he was just willing to go through with Arcueid's plan.

"Shirou, Arcueid seems concerned about something. Do you have any idea what it could be?" Saber turned to him and Shirou shook his head.

"No clue, obviously she thinks something is up at the Agency since she seems hard pressed to get there so fast." Shirou looked up at the mountain and the large amount of ravens circling overhead. He expected they were familiars for the Agency meant to keep watch on the mountains, but he had no clue why they would all be gathered around one spot like that.

After about half an hour of walking the group finally reached the top and what they saw was completely unexpected. The large wooden double doors leading into the medevil looking fortress had been completely ripped to shreds, the remainder of what used to be doors hanging by the hinges. Arcueid walked forward and examined the hinges, it looked to Shirou as if the doors had large claw marks on them like some big animal broke the doors.

"Come on, let's see what's going on. Rin-chan and Sakura-chan stick by Shirou if something happens." The two of them nodded to Arcueid as she spoke and then she walked into the dark entryway of the Agency. The interior was just as old fashioned looking as the exterior, the floor and the walls were made of stone. The floor was covered in blood and the smell of death was heavy on the air.

Their footsteps were loud as they walked through the empty hallway, there were no bodies to be seen anywhere which Shirou found rather odd. Sakura had a terrified look on her face and she stuck close to Shirou's side and clung to his arm. Normally this would irritated Saber a little but she seemed rather tolerant of her because of the gruesome scene before them. Not only was there blood on the floors, but the walls and some of the cieling was also painted with it.

"What the hell did this?" Shirou asked. Whatever it was was obviously something not human, nobody could cause this sort of devistation by themselves. Shirou was used to seeing blood, but even this was almost too much for him.

"Altrouge... what have you done now?" Arcueid said sadly and heaved a sigh as their footsteps pattered loudly on the stone floor.

"Senpai, do you think anyone made it out alive?" Sakura asked Shirou hopefully.

"I don't know. We should look around a little first though." Shirou was worried about Ciel, she'd left before they did to return to the Agency and he hoped she got out before all this happend.

Shirou heard the cawing of the ravens and one of them flew towards them from an adjacent hallway. He figured they must have flown in to pick at whatever corpses there were inside. The group turned around and turned a corner, Arcueid seemed to be leading them somewhere again but it seemed like she knew what she was doing.

"Shirou, listen." Saber said from his right side and everyone stopped to listen. A large ammount of flapping wings could be heard from down one of the dark hallways, filling the area with a constant noise that scratched at the back of your brain and was almost enough to drive one to madness. Even Arcueid seemed to be wary of the noise as she began to walk backwards.

"It's no longer safe here. I recommend that you two get Rider to get you back to Rome." Arcueid turned around and looked at Rin and Sakura, her eyes were serious.

"But what about Shirou and Saber?" Sakura asked, the flapping in front of them became louder.

With the flapping the cawing of the ravens could now also be heard. It seemed like they were coming closer. Shirou's heart began to pound in his chest, he was starting to agree with Arcueid.

"We'll be fine, just go quickly. I'll find you in a day or so, I'm begging you this time Sakura." Shirou's eyes pleaded with her and then looked at Rider.

"Shirou! Watch out!" Rider pointed towards the hallway and several ravens flew past them, cutting Shirou's cheeks with their talons.

Shirou turned around to see a black cloud of birds coming from every direction and making a beeline right for them. He quickly activated his Magic Circuits, they would be torn to ribbons if he didn't do something. He could tell that these weren't normal ravens as he could see their eyes glowing a bright red in the darkness.

"RHO AIAS!!" Shirou summoned up the ultimate defense, the shield of Aias that was never broken. It formed a bright light in the hallway and eight petals like a flower covered the hallway as Shirou extended his arm. "Rider, get Rin and Sakura out of here now!" Shirou turned his head back to Rider only to see her nod and summon her Pegasus. The birds smashed into the shield one after the other, evaporating into nothing but a couple black feathers as they collided with the shield but they seemed to be endless. Behind him he saw a bright white light heading southeast back the way they came.

Shirou had to keep the birds off of their trail, they battered against the shield and broke the first layer sending a wave of pain through Shirou. Saber couldn't do much but watch as Shirou protected her and Arcueid from the onslaught, however Arcueid was helping out a little by killing some of the ravens with her Marble Phantasm. Shirou was trying to think of what to do if they somehow managed to break all eight layers, it was unlikely but he shouldn't rule out the possibilities.

"Arcueid? Any ideas here?" He looked back at her after the ravens shattered the second layer of Aias.

"Yeah, just one. Don't look at me Shirou." Shirou took her warning and turned his attention back to the shield. Behind him her eyes began to glow with a yellow light and the ravens stopped smashing against the shield as if they were frozen.

"You have Mystic Eyes." Saber realized as she was standing behind Arcueid, she knew the power of Mystic Eyes as Rider also had Mystic Eyes. However Rider's Mystic Eyes completely petrified the target, while Arcueid's seemed weaker as they only entranced the ravens.

"Saber, in a moment I'm going to release the Aias. When I do that I want you to release your Invisible Air and tear them apart." Shirou suddenly came up with an idea. It was too dangerous for Saber to use Excalibur in the building as she would send it crashing down on top of them but she could use her Invisible Air without worry as wind wouldn't hurt anything.

Saber nodded and began to pour her concentrate the air around her sword, creating a small whirlwind. "I am prepared to release it Shirou."

The birds still flapped around in mid air completely ignoring the Aias and everything else as they seemed to be completely enchanted by Arcueid's Mystic Eyes. "Do it now Saber." Shirou said as he let the Aias fade from existance.

"Strike Air!" Saber shouted and swung her sword, instantly forgoing the protection the wind provided her golden sword and instead flinging the whirlwind of wind preasure into the group of birds as Shirou and Arcueid jumped aside. The ravens inside the hallway were torn to ribbons by the wind pressure leaving the hallway littered with their corpses.

"Well then, that was some nice teamwork. Let's keep going to the basement." Arcueid lead the group down a spiral staircase, watching for more ravens but none came. Shirou and Saber were led into the interior of the Headquarters but were met with no one. The building seemed completely empty and on the bright side there wasn't any more blood.

"What's in the basement?" Shirou asked as they left the staircase for what looked like a prison. There were cells lining the walls, all of which had been completely demolished. Some of the cells had blood in them along with some remains of pages from the bible. Shirou recalled that most of the Executors here used weapons made from Holy Scriptures.

"Hopefully nothing." She said as the three of them walked out of the prison and down another set of stairs. The Headquarters were built into the interior of the mountain so dispite not looking very big from the outside it was in fact a huge building where the Executors lived when not out in the field. It also functioned as a training facility and prison for heritics and such... however it seemed like the prisoners had all escaped. The group walked through several floors of prison cells, none of which were still occupied.

"It seems we have another problem. If some of these guys got out that would explain why the city of Terni was completely overrun by The Dead." Arcueid looked into each cell as she walked by. She led the group down a few more staircases until they finally reached the basement, it wasn't really as Shirou expected as this was the floor Narbareck's office was on as well as a few training areas. If the Agency was as resourceful as Shirou remembered, then surely Narbareck knew whatever happened here was coming and managed to evacuate at least a few people.

"I hope Ciel is alright..." Shirou thought out loud and it seemed everyone agreed with him as Saber and Arcueid took on a worried expression. Shirou turned a corner away from Arcueid and Saber, he remembered the way to Narbareck's office and perhaps she kept a logbook and recorded what happend. Arcueid and Saber saw him turn away.

"Shirou, wait." Saber called and ran to his side as he went down a hallway and opened the door into the somewhat familiar dark office.

"Well, I wasn't expecting company." A strange man was sitting at Narbareck's desk with his feet up on it. His face was covered by a mask that looked like a bird's face, his long jet black hair hung passed his shoulders and he was clad in a strange white and black outfit fit with artificial wing apendages on his arms and legs.

"Arcueid Brunestud, I didn't know you would bring bodyguards. Are you taking after your sister now?" He said with a sinister tone in his voice as if he was taunting Arcueid. Shirou wondered how they knew each other, but he was sure by his tone that their relationship wasn't exactly good. In fact Shirou was sure he was displaying a taunting smirk under that mask.

"I assume it was her doing that released most of the scum sealed here?" Arcueid glared at the man sitting casually at the desk.

The man laughed as if Arcueid had said something funny. "Scum not so different from yourself. But yes, The Black Princess is the one who set us free. I've decided to make this place my lair now that most of the occupants have vacated." The man stood up from the chair and walked around the desk to face Arcueid, Shirou, and Saber. "You two don't know me so I'll introduce myself. My name is Gransurg Blackmore. I have been sealed here for quite some time and as you can imagine they don't give us much to drink so I'm quite thirsty at the moment." He started to take a step towards them.

Shirou projected a bow and shot an arrow into Gransurg's shoulder. He looked down at the wound and simply pulled out the arrow like it was nothing, a spurt of blood came from the hole in his shoulder.

"Now that's not very nice. I could have killed you the second you stepped into my door boy, now it looks like I'll have to reconsider letting you walk out of here alive!" Gransurg ran at Shirou but was stopped by Saber who had ran forward and blocked the claws of the vampire with her sword. "Fool!" He grabbed the blade with his bare hands and flung Saber into the stone wall.

"Bastard!" Shirou ran forward with the bow held in both hands and aimed to smack Gransurg on the top of the head with it. He bent his body in almost a ninety degree angle and caught the bow before it reached him, bringing his lower body in a kind of backwards sumersault and kicked Shirou in the chin. Arcueid then ran forward and slashed at Gransurg with her claws, she felt them slide through his flesh and leave deep bloody scratches along his chest.

Gransurg screeched like a bird and disapeared into thin air leaving behind only a few black feathers. It seemed like he didn't want to fight in such a position, in any case they all were ill suited to fight in that small office. Shirou and Saber got up off the ground after the battle with Gransurg both of them heaved a sigh of relief. The Agency headquarters were ill suited to a fight like that as it had many narrow corridors and small rooms save for the larger training rooms.

"Hmph, he's just as cowardly as ever." Arcueid clucked her tongue in annoyance and stepped on one of the black feathers. "Are you two alright?" She glanced at Saber and Shirou and both of them nodded.

"He was a Dead Apostle Ancestor wasn't he?" Shirou asked after helping Saber up off of the ground.

Arcueid nodded, "Yeah, he talks big but once he's hurt he turns into a coward. Even so he's powerful, he once destroyed an entire clan of vampires by himself so don't take him lightly. I think the only reason we did so well tonight is because he had other plans, I don't think this is the last we'll be seeing of him." She sat down in a chair as Shirou began to go through some of the papers that had been strewn about the office in their short fight. After just a few seconds he came up with a notebook.

"Shirou what's that?" Saber asked curiously as she walked over and stood next to him as he sat the notebook down on the desk and opened it.

"It's Narbareck's logbook. Hopefully we'll be able to get some information about what's going on." Shirou began to skim through the book, it was mostly nonsense about new trainees and internal problems. Near the back of the book it started to mention rumors going around about someone named Altrouge Brunestud. Shirou gathered this was Arcueid's sister and she was somehow related to the Dead Apostle Ancestors. "Ciel got here just moments before the attack." Shirou informed the other two as he began to near the newest logs. The writing in the book had become frantic while the rest of it had been neat and ledgable. "Narbareck was the last to leave, she personally ushered Ciel and as many people as she could out some secret passage."

Arcueid and Saber looked a little less upset at the mention of Ciel. "Does it say where they went?" Both of them asked simultaniously which made them look at each other.

Shirou flipped to the next page. "The evacuees were instructed to head to Venice with Ciel as their guide. With Merem Solomon falling ill on us, we'll be hard pressed to clean this mess up." Shirou read the last entry out loud. It never said if Narbareck made it out alive or not but he had a feeling they would find out soon enough.

"We should head there then to meet up with Ciel and the Agency." Saber suggested. Neither Shirou nor Arcueid seemed to disagree with her. Arcueid stood up and walked out of the room with Saber and Shirou behind her. Shirou's thoughts turned to Rider, Sakura, and Rin. They should have made it back to Rome by now.

"Sorry, I can't let you girls in on this one." Shirou said quietly to himself and the three of them made their way back up the many levels of staircases and out of the demolished doors of the Burial Agency.


	6. Satsujinki

ACT VI - Satsujinki

After traversing the mountainside a second time Saber, Shirou, and Arcueid made it down the mountain once more and began to head north through the forest. Arcueid was now the main leader as she appeared to be the only one who knew which direction to go. Off in the distance the sun was starting to rise, it had just dawned on Shirou neither he nor Saber had slept for an entire day. As he realized this the fatigue seemed to kick in, his body was telling him to press on but his mind was starting to tire out.

However he realized falling asleep in this forest might not be such a good idea since all the vampires and whatever else was being kept prisoner at the Burial Agency had been set loose.

Arcueid led them out of the forest and along a small river that carved the valley. Shirou could tell that even Saber needed to sleep as she had dematerialized her armor and was now wearing the elegant dress that was normally under it. Arcueid pointed out a run down looking cottage up ahead of them on the bank of the river.

"If you two are as tired as I am then I suggest we take a rest there." Arcueid turned to Shirou and Saber who gave her a questioning look.

"Don't look at me like that, nobody lives there anymore." She brushed back a strand of hair that had gotten into her eyes and the three of them made their way to the cottage.

Arcueid opened the door and the three of them found that the place didn't look that bad. The three of them found the two bedrooms and even the bathroom worked. "Alright then, Saber and I will take this room and Shirou you can have the other one." Arcueid suggested with a smile but Saber shook her head.

"That won't do. I must stay in the same room with Shirou if I am to protect him." Saber spoke up, this time however Shirou didn't protest or complain. While he thought the excuse of Saber protecting him during the night was getting a little old, he found it flattering she was so protective of him.

Arcueid gave the two of them a sly smile. "Suit yourselves, just keep the noise to a minimum alright?" She teased with a small smirk on her face.

Both Saber and Shirou blushed hard at Arcueid's little comment. "What are you talking about?" Shirou exclaimed with embarassment.

Arcueid only chuckled and closed the door to her room. Shirou sighed and scratched his head, he wondered why everyone felt the need to tease him whenever a girl slept in the same room as he did. "Well, shall we?" Shirou led Saber to the room they would be staying the night in and crawled into the surprisingly large bed. For being an old house this place certainly didn't seem like it had been abandoned for very long as the beds still felt nice, then again as tired as Shirou was a couple of rocks would have felt like heaven.

Saber crawled into the bed next to Shirou and laid her head on his chest with her arm around his waist. Shirou's heart skipped a beat as it usually did when anyone got this close to him, but he didn't mind it as much as he normally did. It seemed like he was starting to get used to things of this nature and it was nice that Saber was showing her affectionate side, and it actually made him feel very happy having her this close. Shirou slid his arms around Saber's small form and held her, dispite all the pain and sorrow he's endured his entire life this moment he was in made him forget it all. "Goodnight Saber." He whispered quietly and closed his eyes. "Sleep well, Shirou." She whispered back before closing her emerald eyes as well.

Shirou's eyes shot open and he had the strangest feeling like he saw something in the window by the bed, the sun shined in the window meaning it was still morning and he hadn't been asleep that long. He glanced down at Saber who was still sleeping soundly but he still felt uneasy. He carefully slid out of the bed and walked through the quiet house, even though it was daytime it still had a creepy and quiet feel, the kind of feeling when you return to your house after watching a scary movie about ghosts or evil spirits. Shirou made his way to the front door and stepped outside, the morning air was crisp and cool and the sunlight almost blinded him.

Shirou looked around for anything and when he looked to the forest behind the house he thought he saw a pair of glowing blue eyes in the darkness of the trees. "Who's there?" He called and the eyes disappeared. Shirou gave chase and ran into the trees, whatever this thing was he was confident he could deal with it. He saw a figure up on top of the trees jumping from branch to branch, it looked human but Shirou couldn't be too sure. After a minute of chasing it the figure disapeared from view and Shirou felt something cold on his neck.

"What are you doing out here? This is a dangerous forest you know, you don't look like a normal person either." It was a voice of a man about Shirou's age and the feeling on his neck turned out to be a fruit knife. With blinding speed Shirou grabbed the hand with the knife in it and flung the man over his shoulder and to the ground, the man grunted and Shirou pinned him to the ground and held Kanshou to his throat. The man looked just like a normal person, he wore a t-shirt, jeans and had short black hair. In fact, the only thing abnormal about the man was his glowing blue eyes.

"You're the one who attacked me, now I'm asking the questions. Who are you and what are you doing out here?" The man smirked and within an instant he threw Shirou off and disapeared then reappeared behind him aiming a stab with the knife at Shirou's back. Shirou quickly twisted his body and blocked the blow, he then projected Bakuya in his other hand and stood up to face the man.

The man didn't seem interested in answering Shirou's questions and charged him with a speed Shirou had only seen a Servant perform. The strange man aimed blows at odd spots on his body, spots that wouldn't kill him if he was struck there with a fruit knife. Shirou blocked each of the blows and jumped over the man's head and aimed a cross slash at his back. The man roundhouse kicked Shirou and sent him flying back, Shirou recovered midair and landed on his feet.

This time they charged at each other, Shirou swinging Kanshou and Bakuya and the strange man with his knife. The man was quick, the instant Shirou thought he had him he would disappear and instantly reappear somewhere else. His knife style was also hard to deal with, it was as if he was trying to strike specific points on Shirou's body. The man swung and aimed it at Shirou's throat, Shirou ducked under the blow and tripped the man by sweeping his leg and knocked him to the ground on his back. Shirou jumped into the air and prepared to deliver the final strike.

The man rolled away at the last instant and Kanshou was driven into the ground. Shirou pulled it out and the two of them stared at each other.

"Both of you stop it." Arcueid jumped down from a nearby tree between Shirou and the strange man.

"You know this guy Arcueid?" The man looked at her and asked, taking a pair of round framed glasses out of his pocket and slipping them on, Shirou noticed his eye color turned from blue to a more natural looking brown once the glasses were slipped on his face.

"Yeah, I guess you could call him my bodyguard." Arcueid explained and cast a glance over at Shirou.

"Hold on a minute, you two know each other?" Shirou scratched his head in a confused manner and glanced at the bespeckled man and Arcueid.

"My name is Shiki. Tohno Shiki. I guess you could say I'm sort of Arcueid's boyfriend." Shiki pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and shoved his knife in his pocket.

Arcueid blushed a little at Shiki's mentioning of being her boyfriend.

"My name is Emiya Shirou. There's another woman in that house, I'll introduce you to her later so you don't decide to randomly attack her too." Shirou said with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"You're lucky I was already vacationing here with Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku or I wouldn't have been able to meet you." Shiki heaved a sigh. "I can't even go on vacation without being dragged into things by you." Arcueid looked angry at Shiki's comment and Shirou was in disbelief. How could someone with such power not be willing to use it for someone else's sake? Not only that Shirou thought he complained an awful lot too.

"Just out of curiosity, where are you and your friends staying at Tohno-san." Shirou asked, he wondered if he came from Venice or somewhere nearby in which case he might know something about what's going on even if it appeared like he was playing dumb.

"My sister has a place in Venice, the only reason I'm all the way out here is because I got a letter from a friend of mine while she was in Fuyuki City on a job saying that Arcueid would probably be showing up around this area and might need some help. Little did I know that this forest would be crawling with demons and such. Just what the heck is going on around here?" Shiki answered Shirou's question then turned his attention back to Arcueid.

"The short story goes that the Burial Agency was attacked and all the Dead Apostles and even the Dead Apostle Ancestors were set free by my sister Altrouge. I had a feeling she was up to something, as she almost always is. However I had no idea it would be anything like this." Arcueid explained while Shirou stood silent with his arms crossed.

"And where did you dig up this one? It seems like every time I see you, there's new people with you." Shiki jerked his thumb towards Shirou, apparently this kind of thing happened to Shiki a lot and Shirou began to wonder if Shiki was just as strange as Arcueid and Ciel were.

"He's a friend of Ciel's from Fuyuki. In fact, Shirou here is a Counter Guardian." Arcueid said with a smile as if she were showing off a new puppy or something.

"Well that explains why you were able to fight me and stay alive for more than thirty seconds." Shiki turned to Shirou and gave him a grin. Shirou took it to mean that Shiki didn't necessarily hate him, but Shirou didn't think he would be able to get along well with him.

"In any case, I have to get back to the mansion now or my sister will definately be mad at me again. I'm sure we'll meet again once you guys finally get to Venice." And with that Shiki waved goodbye and began to run through the forest at an alarming speed. Shirou thought Shiki's sister's wrath must be bad if it would make him run like that.

"Shirou, is everything alright?" Shirou turned around to find Saber standing behind him and Arcueid, it was probably for the best that she missed the fight between him and Shiki.

"Yeah don't worry, everything's fine." Shirou reassured her with a smile. Just then it dawned on him, he never asked Shiki about his eyes. Shirou figured he just got lost in the moment and forgot about it but it just made him even more curious about Shiki, he made a mental note to ask him if he ever got the chance again.

"Are you two ready to leave? I think we can get to Venice by nightfall if we hurry." Arcueid asked Shirou and Saber. It would be a long walk through the Italian countryside to reach Venice so they figured they might as well get started now.

"Yeah, we're ready let's go." Shirou and Saber nodded and they began to continue along their way following Arcueid.

The walk through the country was uneventful, for the most part they stayed silent unless Arcueid pointed something out that she recognized. Soon the area which they were walking through became more and more populated and they began to pass cars on the road they were now following along with bicicles and a few people jogging, all of which stared at Shirou and Saber as they were wearing such odd clothing. Shirou made a mental note to pick up some clothes for himself and Saber once they got to the city.

Soon enough the three of them reached the gates to Venice, the flooded city of Italy. Shirou wondered why people insisted on living in such a place that was sinking into the water. Now the investigation would begin, the group would have to turn their attention to finding the remnants of the Burial Agency as well as someplace to live while they stayed in the area. However Shirou's thoughts couldn't help but turn to Rin, Sakura and Rider. He didn't regret his desicion of sending them away and he planned to return once things settled down a bit, but Venice was one of Italy's hotspots with the canals and the shopping. That made him think that the three of them would have loved it here.

The sun was just starting to crawl below the horizon as the three of them entered the city, the streets were more like walkways connecting the entire city above the canals where many long boats driven by men in strange outfits pushed the boats along the canals. It was a romantic setting for any couple in Venice, even Shirou considered taking Saber on one of them if they ever got the chance.

"This way, there should be a hotel around here somewhere." Arcueid led the way down a street lit with candles and lanterns until she turned into a hotel, the name of which Shirou couldn't read. This suddenly made him realize that he couldn't speak a word of Italian.

"Arcueid, do you speak Italian?" Shirou asked her, this made her stop with her hand on the door. Her stopping answered Shirou's question. Saber stuck her chest out proudly and grabbed Arcueid's wallet and walked into the hotel. Both Shirou and Arcueid stood in awe as Saber conversed with the man at the counter speaking pure Italian. Saber walked back to the two of them, handed Arcueid her wallet and held up a room key.

"I had no idea you could speak Italian..." Shirou stood flabbergasted as Arcueid pushed him through the door while he was dumbstruck.

"I also speak French and Spanish, and you already know I am English and I speak Japanese as well. I was a king you know, I had to learn several languages for trading and negotiation purposes. Though I admit my Spanish is not up to the standards they should be." Saber explained as they walked through the hotel. Luckily they had no baggage so they were able to go right up to the room and settle in. It was a large suite with one large bed and a small one next to it, complete with a kitchen and a refrigerator.

The three of them settled down for the night and planned to start their search for the Agency's survivors in the morning. This time, Shirou hoped he would be able to sleep soundly.


	7. Venice

ACT VII - Venice

The next morning the three of them left the hotel and went in search of a Church. The way Arcueid figured, if anybody knew anything about the Agency it would be someone who worked in a Church, and if the Agency had safe houses or something like that here the churches in the area were probably workers for the Burial Agency themselves and were privy to information like the locations of said safe houses. As expected, Venice was bustling with activity from locals to tourists. Shirou was unaware which category Saber, Arcueid and himself fell into. He kind of wished he was a tourist to the area, then he might be able to actually enjoy himself instead of looking for something.

After Saber asked around a bit they found the location of a major church and the three of them headed in that direction. Saber's ability to both speak and read Italian came in handy when it came to talking to people or reading signs and soon she took over Arcueid's position of leading the group. After about a half an hour they stumbled onto the church and walked inside, the interior didn't differ much from Kotomine Church back in Fuyuki City. Thankfully it was not a service hour so there weren't too many people hanging around, just a few priests which didn't know anything about the Agency.

Saber asked where the person in charge could be found and insisted that she was allowed to see them, one of the priests reluctantly told Saber where to find their office and they were off. They knocked on the door and it opened to reveal a familiar face.

"Emiya? It's been awhile hasn't it?" Narbareck was behind the door and ushered them inside. "Care to introduce me to your other friend? I already know Miss Brunestud." She said formally and greeted Arcueid.

"Narbareck this is Saber. Saber, this is Narbareck... I guess you could say she was my boss for awhile." Narbareck chuckled at Shirou's comment as he introduced the two of them.

"I prefer the term comrade in arms but in any case the pleasure is mine Saber. As you may have heard we're having a bit of trouble." Narbareck sat back in her chair and motioned for the three of them to sit down.

"We're looking for Ciel, have you seen her?" Arcueid spoke up and looked at the woman in front of her. Narbareck didn't look like a person in charge of anything; in fact she looked much too young. At first glance she resembled a normal person just as much as Shiki did.

"I sent her out on a mission yesterday, we're even more shorthanded now than we normally are so we're all a bit overworked at the moment." Narbareck sighed, a strand of hair fell in front of her face making her look even more exhausted then she already appeared to be.

"What about the Tohnos? I hear they're in town and I'd like to know where they're staying." Shirou asked, he was interested to find out more about Shiki. Even if Shirou didn't think he could get along with Shiki, they would probably end up working together through Arcueid anyway so he may as well get used to being around him.

Narbareck thought for a moment. "Tohnos? I think I remember a mansion under that name being on the other side of town on top of the hill."

"Thanks, you've been a big help. We won't take any more of your time." The three of them said goodbye to Narbareck and prepared to leave.

"Take care of Emiya you two. He's a good kid." She called after them.

"Who's she calling a kid?" Shirou grumbled and glanced back at the door of the office as it closed.

Narbareck was sure to be busy now that the Agency no longer had much of a headquarters, but at least they found out that Ciel was still alive and well. Perhaps they would meet again in the future however they now had other things to do like finding out where Shiki was staying.

"So what exactly are you planning to do after finding Shiki?" Shirou asked Arcueid as Saber asked for directions from someone who looked like a tour guide.

"Ask him if we can stay of course! Why stay in a hotel when Shiki has a place here right?" Arcueid said as if it was only natural to freeload.

"What about his sister? I doubt she will be willing to accommodate three extra people." Shirou asked and thought about earlier when he saw Shiki run as if the bats of hell were on his tail, if a sister could scare a man like Shiki that much she must have majority control over what goes on at the house.

Arcueid waved her hand dismissively, "We'll be fine." The man Saber had been talking to pointed to the west and soon they were off in the direction of the Tohno mansion.

They followed the canals, occasionally glancing at the longboats as they were pushed down the narrow "streets". Such things were foreign to both Saber and Shirou and the two of them took in everything they saw as they walked. On top of a large hill in the distance they saw a typical western-style mansion.

"Not exactly subtle is it." Shirou looked up the hill at the large house, if this was the kind of place the Tohnos vacationed at who could say what their normal living conditions were like. He wondered what kind of work they did to become so wealthy. The mansion had a large iron gate blocking entry from anyone they didn't want in there.

"Hm, looks pretty much like their other place." Arcueid mumbled to herself as the three of them began the trek up the hill. It looked as if the house had been specifically constructed to match the style they were used to as it clashed with the normal buildings in the city.

"Where is Shiki from? He is Japanese right?" Shirou asked Arcueid as they reached the iron gate out front.

"Yeah he's Japanese. He currently lives in Misaki." Arcueid answered as she pushed the call button on the buzzer next to the gate. Shirou had heard of Misaki before, a few years back before Shirou fought in the Fifth Holy Grail War it was all over the news due to a series of bizarre murders.

The call box made a noise and a female voice answered, "Good afternoon, how may I help you?" The voice sounded extremely calm and collected, probably someone that was hired to do this sort of thing.

"Hisui-chan is that you? It's Arcueid, I have some friends with me and we came to see Shiki. Is he in?" Arcueid leaned towards the box and talked to the person on the other side, her voice was friendly and enthusiastic.

A pause came from the other end of the speaker. "Miss Arcueid? Please come in, I'll unlock the gate for you." Hisui shut off the box and a loud click was heard as the gate was unlocked.

Arcueid pushed open the gate and the three of them walked inside. The grounds looked relatively large and the grass was well groomed just what one would expect from a wealthy family. Near the rear a small Japanese style house stood, probably for guests or just for a taste of home as it looked relatively small. As they neared the large wooden door in the front a maid opened it dressed in a uniform and looking very professional.

"Shiki-sama will be down in a moment, please wait here." The woman bowed, maintaining her serious expression. The expression reminded Shirou of when he first met Saber, as she used to wear the same kind of face at all time.

"Thank you Hisui-chan." Arcueid smiled warmly but Hisui just walked off most likely back to her duties. The entryway had a staircase on each side of the room leading to the north and south wings. Between them a sitting room could be seen with comfortable looking couches and chairs, Shirou wasn't used to seeing this kind of house save for the Einsbern Castle back in his hometown of Fuyuki however that house had burnt down during the Fifth War.

Soon Shirou heard footsteps and saw Shiki descending the stairs from the north wing, he didn't look like he belonged in this sort of setting at all as he was wearing casual clothing such as jeans, a white t shirt and a dark blue jacket.

"I see you three wasted no time in finding your way here." He stepped off of the staircase and stood in front of the three of them. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, since we've traveled such a long way we figured that you might let us stay here until we find out where to go next." Arcueid put on a face like a pouting dog, as if pleading and playing around at the same time.

Shiki sighed heavily and scratched his head. "I don't know, I'd have to talk with Akiha first. Technically this is still her house. I think we should at least introduce these two before talking to her about anything though." He said and jabbed his thumb towards Shirou and Saber.

"Is your sister here now Shiki-san? I'm kind of interested to know what she's like." Shirou had heard Akiha's name thrown around quite a bit with Shiki and it seemed he cared about her opinion of him a great deal, Shiki didn't seem too interested in him and Saber but maybe Shiki's sister would feel differently. Saber stood silently next to Shirou as they spoke with Shiki, it was like she could sense something about him or maybe she just didn't trust him yet.

"She's probably in her room; I can go get her if you want." He said as if disinterested, the last time they'd met he seemed rather concerned about the vacation they were on and Shirou was reluctant to interfere with it even if Arcueid insisted.

"If it's not too much trouble, I don't want to interrupt you guys on your vacation." Shirou said politely, but Shiki didn't seem to mind it much.

"Don't worry about it; honestly we don't have plans until nightfall so until then we're just sitting around. I'll go get her for you." Shiki went back up the staircase he came from and turned into the hallway.

"Something has been bothering me Arcueid, what do you need us for if you have someone as capable as Shiki around?" Shirou asked curiously, from their fight earlier he gathered that Shiki was an extraordinary fighter and would be good in any kind of situation.

"If it's my sister we're dealing with, she could bring all kinds of trouble down on Shiki. I just don't want to bring him in this time unless I have to." She said vaguely. Shirou thought there could be something deeper to the story but it appeared that Arcueid didn't want to bring it up, so Shirou didn't press it further.

"Is your sister so powerful that you cannot handle her by yourself?" Saber spoke up and asked curiously while looking passed Shirou at Arcueid. Now that Shiki was gone it seemed that she could drop her guard and talk a little.

Arcueid brushed a strand of hair from her face. "It's not that... it's that she has several bodyguards. So I figured I needed my own if I'm going to stop her." It seems Arcueid had a plan from the beginning. Shirou thought that if she would have just asked him instead of leading him around blindly and providing only vague answers to his questions that all this secrecy wouldn't be needed.

"Why didn't you just try asking somebody?" Shirou chimed in. If Arcueid would have just asked and explained her situation he would have gladly helped.

"I didn't think anybody would believe me, and I didn't want to bother Shiki with it." Arcueid looked up at the staircase and saw Shiki come out of the hallway followed by a beautiful and elegant looking girl wearing a sky blue blouse and a long, red skirt.

Shirou's mouth almost dropped when she saw her. She definitely fit in with the house, just by her stride he could tell that she was bred into a wealthy family. Her long black hair flowed off her shoulders and down her back, her sapphire eyes held a serious expression as she descended the stairs in what seemed like slow motion.

"Hi Akiha-chan!" Arcueid waved excitedly as Shiki's sister stepped off of the last step behind Shiki.

"Hello Arcueid, would you care to introduce your two companions?" Akiha greeted her politely and cast a side glance over at Shirou and Saber.

"My name is Emiya Shirou. It's a pleasure to meet you Akiha-san." Shirou introduced himself politely with a warm smile to which Akiha returned.

"My name is Saber, Shirou's partner and protector. It's also a pleasure to meet you Miss Akiha." Saber also greeted her politely, trying to maintain the proper atmosphere that she was no doubt used to.

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you, tell me how it is you know my brother?" Akiha asked suspiciously, casting a side glance at Arcueid.

"We met him a couple of days ago through Arcueid in the forest by Terni. We're here with Arcueid to help her with something important." Shirou thought he'd better not mention the fact that he had fought Shiki as Saber didn't know about the fight and had only seen Shiki for the brief moment afterwards. Shirou was also sure that if he mentioned the fight between them it could put a damper on his first impression with Akiha.

Apparently Akiha didn't know about Shiki seeing them that day as she narrowed her eyes and cast a glance back at Shiki who chuckled nervously and scratched his head.

"I see, it seems my brother must have had some business in Terni that he neglected to tell me about." Shirou had a feeling that he had just accidentally gotten Shiki in trouble.

"Akiha, we're only going to be in town for a little while so I was wondering if you and Shiki would let us stay." Arcueid spoke up, revealing the true reason they were there to Akiha.

Akiha glanced over her shoulder to find two maids standing behind her; one of them was Hisui that they had met previously. The other looked identical save for she was wearing a black kimono under her normal maid uniform, she had a large blue bow in her hair and a smile on her face.

"If Hisui and Kohaku do not mind the extra work then I have no problem with it." The two maids behind her stepped forward.

"It's no trouble at all Akiha-sama, it will be nice to have some company for once." They bowed simultaneously while the more cheerful looking woman spoke up.

"Hang on a minute. I can't let you two do all the work, I insist that you at least let me help out around the place if we're going to be staying here." Shirou spoke up, he didn't like the idea of being taken care of without at least helping out if he could.

"Please don't worry about it, it's our job and besides we love doing it." Hisui's twin, no doubt named Kohaku said with a wide smile. The both of them were spitting images of each other despite their different attitudes.

Shirou made a mental note to approach them later to convince them that it would make him feel better about staying if he would be doing some work.

"There is room in the japanese house out back if you'll follow me." Hisui stepped forward and spoke, it seemed like her facial expression never changed. It really did remind him of Saber, she probably is very shy around people and puts on a persona whenever she deals with someone she doesn't know.

Hisui led them through the sitting room and out the back door into the yard. The grass was so even it almost looked fake, Shirou wondered if the twins were the only ones here who kept the place looking this nice. An awful lot of work would have to go into keeping the place clean every day.

"Hisui-san, would you mind telling me more about your sister?" Shirou asked her as they walked across the lawn. She probably wasn't good at talking about herself, at least it didn't appear that way at first glance so Shirou would find out about them by asking the opposite twin. He saw Hisui's head tilt slightly in confusion.

"Nee-san is very kind, and she works hard in the kitchen and in the yard every day for Akiha-sama." Just as Shirou expected her answer was short and to the point, not revealing anything other than what was asked.

"What do you know about Shiki?" Saber spoke for the first time in awhile, asking Hisui about the person whom she knew the least now. She hadn't really had much contact with Shiki before so she was a little wary of him.

"Shiki-sama has a habit of worrying Akiha-sama by going out at night and not telling her about it. He's been doing this for awhile now and I think he still does it just to tease her." Hisui's expression changed to one of slight annoyance. Shirou smiled a little and he realized that she did in fact have other feelings behind that blank stare of hers. "Everyone worries for Shiki-sama because he is anemic and is prone to fall unconscious when overworked, but even so Akiha-sama is the one who worries the most about him."

They reached the tiny Japanese style house and Hisui opened the door for the three of them. Shirou stayed back and insisted Hisui go in next. He didn't like the idea of maids, and he didn't like being taken care of so he wouldn't treat her any differently than he would anyone else. Inside the small house there was a bedroom with futons inside the closet along with pillows and other things, the place would be perfect for them to stay in temporarily.

"Nee-san should be in the kitchen cooking as we speak, I will come and get you when dinner is ready." Hisui said after showing the group around the small house.

Again Shirou took it upon himself to step forward. "Could you show me to the kitchen? I would like to see if I can help Kohaku-san in any way, I'm quite a good cook myself." Shirou insisted.

Hisui lowered her head and thought for a moment. "I can see you won't back down on this. Very well, follow me Shirou-sama." She held the door open for him and Shirou turned back to Saber and Arcueid.

"You two relax, I'll see you at dinner." He smiled at the two of them and closed the door behind him and followed Hisui back to the house.

"Why do you insist on something like this?" Hisui asked Shirou with a confused expression as if she couldn't understand why he would want to help them out.

"We're basically freeloading with Arcueid and I don't like that idea, so the least I can do is use any skills I have to help around the place. In any case it would make it easier on you and Kohaku-san right?" Shirou smiled at her.

"Shirou-sama that's very admirable of you but..." Hisui was about to protest again when Shirou interrupted her.

"That's another thing, you need to stop calling me Shirou-sama. I'm no better of a person than you so please don't treat me like one." Hisui led them around the corner and Shirou could smell what he thought was fried tofu.

"But I could get in trouble with Akiha-sama if she hears me..." Hisui stopped outside the kitchen and Shirou stood in front of her.

"If that happens I'll talk to her, she seems like an understanding person. I plan on asking the same of your sister too, so please put up with my selfishness until then alright?" Shirou leaned on the frame of the door and spoke seriously, he didn't know how long they would be in town so he may as well get comfortable.

"Very well then Shirou-san. I have other duties to attend to, the kitchen is right in there please do as you wish." She motioned towards the doorway with her hand and then turned to walk away.

Shirou turned into the doorway where Kohaku was bustling about the kitchen as if she was busy when all she was doing was waiting for the tofu to fry. "How long had you been listening to us?" Shirou asked her with a smirk as he walked over to check on the tofu.

Kohaku looked flustered and she waved her arms and tried to form words. Shirou wondered if she was very silly in her private life. "Eh, well I heard most of it." She chuckled nervously and scratched the side of her head with her index finger. "I'm surprised you actually got her to do it. Shiki-san also insisted on dropping the honorifics with him, but Nee-san still won't do it."

"Speaking of your sister, can you tell me anything about her?" Shirou asked as he put some seasoning in the tofu. Kohaku only watched him seeming content on what he was doing to the food.

"Don't let her exterior fool you, she's actually very sweet and caring. She cares very much for Shiki-san and everyone else, and I can even tell that she cares for you too Shirou-san." Kohaku explained and leaned her back on the counter as she watched Shirou add things to the tofu.

"She cares for me? How do you know? We've only just met." Shirou was confused at Kohaku's words, it didn't seem like enough time to tell whether or not they liked each other as they'd only met a few minutes before.

"Hisui-chan has an excellent judge of character, it doesn't take her long to find out if she likes someone or not. As proof she never talks as much with anyone else if she's not comfortable with them." Shirou turned around and let the tofu fry for a little while. Hisui seemed like an interesting person, hiding behind that emotionless exterior to hide what she really felt. Shirou wondered what she must have had to go through for something like that to happen to her.


	8. Double Date

ACT VIII - Double Date

After talking with Kohaku the tofu had finished cooking and everyone was sitting at the table with Akiha and Shiki at each end of the long table. Hisui stood behind Shiki and Kohaku stood behind Akiha apparently to deal with anything they needed. Akiha fit the setting perfectly, as she looked elegant enough to be in one of those magazines that rich people read.

"Kohaku, the tofu tastes a bit different than your normal cooking. Did you try something different?" Akiha asked after forking a small bit of it into her mouth. Apparently her taste was good enough she was able to spot Shirou's modifications.

"Actually Shirou-san insisted that I let him help me cook if he was going to be staying with us. Is it not to your liking Akiha-sama?" Kohaku explained but she always held that small smile on her face, as if it was nothing.

Akiha looked surprised when Kohaku mentioned Shirou's name. "Is this true Shirou-san?" That was all she asked as she put her fork down took a sip of the tea that was before all of them. Saber, who was sitting across the table from Shirou looked like she belonged there as well as she had on the dress that was normally under her armor. She truly looked like royalty when sitting near Akiha.

"Yes, I added a few things to make it a bit more flavorful. I apologize if I did something I shouldn't have." Shirou looked up at Akiha and admitted.

"On the contrary. If you continue doing so you're welcome to help Kohaku in my kitchen any time you want." Akiha had a pleased look on her face as she picked up her fork again. Behind her Kohaku gave Shirou a wide smile and offered him a thumbs up.

Around the table everyone had began to dig in to Kohaku and Shirou's combined cooking and they looked equally surprised as Akiha at how good it was. Arcueid finished first and Shiki glanced over at Shirou, "You might have to give me some lessons Shirou. If Arcueid starts liking your cooking more than mine I might be in trouble." Everyone at the table including Akiha chuckled at Shiki's comment.

Saber looked content as she ate; she enjoyed Shirou's cooking which she hadn't had for quite some time now. She had as much manners as Akiha had thanks to her being a king in the past, every time she picked up a fork or a cup it was such a fluid motion it was almost beautiful just to watch her.

After dinner and desert with everyone it had become quite dark outside. Everyone looked relaxed as they sat in the sitting room and chatted for awhile. Outside the crickets were starting to chirp.

"Are you ready to leave Akiha? It should be about time." Shiki turned to her and asked. Shirou guessed they had plans somewhere in the city tonight and Arcueid looked rather curious as well.

"Hm? Where are you two going tonight?" Arcueid asked curiously with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Nee-san promised he would take me on a gondola tonight. I hear the canals are quite beautiful at night." Akiha answered as she set down her tea cup.

"If it isn't too much trouble would you mind if Shirou and I joined the two of you?" Saber turned to Akiha and asked thinking that it would be nice for them to relax for a night, there didn't seem to be any pressing matters on hand during the night so they might as well enjoy themselves for once.

"Nee-san is that fine with you?" Akiha asked Shiki.

"Yeah, I don't mind. What about you though Arcueid? If it's just the four of us won't you feel left out?" Shiki let Hisui take his empty teacup from him and everyone else did the same, it still bothered Shirou a little to watch them bustle around the house and work but Kohaku and Hisui didn't seem unhappy.

Arcueid shook her head, "Nah, I have plans tonight anyway. There's somebody I want to talk to, I appreciate your concern though Shiki." She smiled at him and then stood up. "You guys have fun; I'll be back later tonight." With those words Arcueid left the room and the house to do whatever it was she was going to do.

Akiha stood up from the chair she sat in and looked at Shiki with a smile on her face. "Shall we go Nee-san?" Shirou could tell she had been looking forward to this trip for awhile by the way Akiha was acting, that was the first time he had seen her smile since he, Saber, and Arcueid had met her. Shiki nodded and stood up as well followed by Saber and Shirou. Kohaku disappeared into the kitchen to take care of the dishes no doubt, and Hisui was probably off cleaning something.

The four of them walked to the door and stepped out into the night. It was quiet and peaceful on the top of the large hill the Tohno household set on, outside Hisui met them and opened the large iron gate for them. "Please be careful on your way." She said with a bow and saw them out. The city of Venice could be seen from the top of the hill and hundreds of lights dotted the area below the hill. The four of them thanked Hisui and started down the hill, the smell of the canals already starting to fill Shirou's nose.

There were many people walking around the streets just as one would expect, and the group looked rather odd to everyone else as everyone besides Saber was Japanese. The city was aglow with street lamps and flashes of the tourist's cameras, even the gondolas had tiny lamps on them.

"So tell me how the two of you met." Akiha turned to Shirou and asked him, her raven hair blowing slightly in the cool night breeze.

"I met Saber several years ago when she saved my life after which we fought through many battles side by side. In the end though she couldn't stay so she left, it wasn't until recently we were reunited." Shirou told her as much as possible without revealing anything about the Holy Grail or magecraft. These two seemed like nice people, and anybody who got themselves caught up in magic seemed to have a hard life. "She used to be very much like Hisui, but she's started to show her true self recently." He turned to Saber and offered her a smile; she returned it and walked a little closer to him.

The group turned onto a side street, Shiki was probably leading them towards the docks where the gondolas set out from. The sounds of the canals were never far away and the group passed many benches where couples were sitting in a romantic setting. At every one they passed Shirou began to see himself and Saber sitting at the benches.

"What about you and Shiki? Have you been living together your whole lives?" Saber asked as she gazed at the lantern lit water below them.

Akiha thought for a moment as if unsure how to answer Saber's question. "No we haven't, he was sent to live with a branch family when he was young, when my father became ill and died and I became head of the family a few years later I sent for him to return. We have been living together ever since." Akiha glanced over at Shiki as if for confirmation she told the story right.

The sound of water became louder and more gondolas could be seen in the canals indicating they were nearing the docks. "Actually we're not blood related at all; I was adopted by Akiha's father." Shiki said something out of the blue and Akiha looked at him wide-eyed as if she was surprised he revealed such a thing. "Even so I love Akiha as my own sister. She's family even if we don't share the same blood." Shiki smiled and the moonlight shined off his glasses.

They had only just met a few hours before and it already seemed like everyone was getting along. Hisui and Kohaku were nice enough even if Hisui never talked that much or even smiled, Shirou could tell that deep down Kohaku's description of her was correct. Akiha was an extremely beautiful woman with as much love for her brother as was humanly possible. Not much was known about Shiki himself but everyone in his house certainly cared about him quite a lot even if (according to Akiha) he did make her worry all the time.

The group neared the docks and they found a gondola that would take them along the canals, both Akiha and Saber looked rather restless as some of the boats looked quite old. Shirou and Shiki looked at each other. "Maybe it would be better if we were to take separate boats?" Shirou suggested and Shiki nodded in agreement. Luckily two boats had pulled up side by side.

"I guess that answers your question." Shiki stepped into the boat and Shirou stepped into his. Both of them held out their hands, Akiha taking Shiki's and Saber taking Shirou's they helped them into the boats and sat next to one another. Soon the two gondolas were off being pushed by a man with a large pole wearing black and white striped outfits with red ascots. The boat rocked only slightly on the water of the canals, as they were pushed smoothly along the watery streets.

Ahead of him Shirou could see Shiki and Akiha sitting next to each other in their own boat. Akiha was leaning her head against Shiki's shoulder and they looked like they were talking about something. Saber scooted close to him and hugged his arm affectionately; she was looking at the lights lining the canal. The small lanterns gave off an ambient light on the boat and were quite a romantic setting, the light made Saber's hair shine beautifully along with her eyes.

The small breeze ruffled their hair. "It really is quite beautiful isn't it?" Saber said turning her emerald eyes towards Shirou. Shirou tried to think of something clever to say but his mind drew a blank. "Yeah, it really is. I'm glad we ended up here." He smiled and wrapped his arm that Saber had been hugging loosely around her back, she looked a little surprised at this action because Shirou didn't normally do things like that. Considering the atmosphere however, it seemed to bring the romantic side out in people. Saber leaned against Shirou as the cool air of the canals washed over them. They both fell silent unable to think of anything to say.

Shirou began to notice that his heart was fluttering and he wondered if Saber's was as well. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd been alone with Saber in quite a while. Behind them, the man driving the gondola began to sing a soft song in Italian. Shirou couldn't understand any of it and looked curiously at Saber, she was the only one he knew of who could speak Italian.

"He's singing about two people who loved each other but got separated; they spent the rest of their lives searching for one another." Saber said with a rather sad tone in her voice as if she could feel what the people in the song were feeling. As the man's song neared its end Saber slowly inched herself closer to Shirou. Shirou turned his head and looked down at her; she gave him a smile that made Shirou's heart explode. It was as if she put all her feeling into it and it radiated out from her face like a solar flare. Shirou reached out and touched Saber's smooth cheek with his fingers. Her emerald eyes glowed in the faint light of the canal and stared back at him, Shirou's heart began to pound in his chest.

Saber's eyes closed and she tilted her head against his hand. Shirou began to lean in closer to her, he gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips and she wrapped her arms around Shirou's waist. She leaned up towards Shirou and their lips met, Shirou's heart pounded so hard he was almost sure Saber could feel it herself. Shirou's eyes closed as the two of them entered a world all their own, the gondola driver's song still fresh in their ears. After a few seconds their lips parted with a soft noise and the both of them opened their eyes. Neither of them said anything, nor did either of them think that there was a need to. For the rest of the trip they simply held onto each other and let the gondola driver sing.

Soon both Shiki and Shirou's gondolas ended up back at the port where they'd started. Shirou exited the boat first and helped Saber out, she smiled when she grabbed onto his hand and stepped back onto solid ground. Shiki and Akiha were already out and both of them were looking relaxed.

"Did the both of you enjoy yourselves?" Akiha turned towards Shirou and Saber and asked.

"Yeah, how about you Akiha-san?" Shirou answered her with a smile and a nod towards Shiki.

"We had a great time, isn't that right Nee-san?" Akiha replied with a glance towards Shiki.

Shiki nodded, "Yeah, it really was relaxing." Shirou didn't know about the term "relaxing", but he guessed to a brother and sister it would be.

The group began to walk away from the docks and back to the streets; they took a different route than they had before through what looked like a shopping district. Saber and Akiha occasionally walked up to a store window and looked at the dresses that were on display if they saw something that caught their eye. Shirou and Shiki caught each other's eyes and Shiki shrugged, watching the two girls made one think they were just normal pair of women.

The two girls wandered around the shopping district with Shirou and Shiki following behind them. Both of them were obviously having a good time and they seemed to be getting along well. Shirou looked up at the sky at the full moon that was shining through the clouds above them. They had things they could be doing, but for now Shirou was content on doing these meaningless things with friends.

"I can see why you like her." Shiki spoke up as he walked next to Shirou and behind the girls. His hands were in his pockets and he was walking casually.

"Hm? Oh, you mean Saber." Shirou was confused for a moment but then realized what Shiki was talking about. "Yeah, she's really something else isn't she?"

Shiki nodded with a smirk. "I gotta warn you though. I've seen you looking at Akiha too. Go after my sister and I'll have to kill you." He playfully elbowed Shirou in the arm.

"Me and Akiha-san?" Shirou chuckled. "I don't think you have to worry much about that. I'd say the chances of her and I getting together are slim to none." Sure Shirou liked Akiha, but he just couldn't see her in a romantic light. She seemed too pure for such things. Besides, if he started looking at other women he would probably wake up one morning to Saber standing over him with Excalibur raised. He got a brief image of her blowing up his house in his head and he shivered, Saber sure looked scary when she was angry.

"Speaking of which, what exactly do you see in Arcueid?" Arcueid was in fact Shiki's girlfriend or so he once claimed anyway, the question had been on Shirou's mind for awhile.

"Well, she is extremely spontaneous and sometimes not great in social situations. However even so she's extremely cute and has a lot of knowledge from being around for a long time." Shiki replied and watched Akiha and Saber run from window to window.

"Hm, I can see where you're coming from. She is rather beautiful when she isn't doing something dumb." Shirou thought for a moment before speaking.

"Well she is royalty after all." Shiki shrugged. Shirou looked at him wide-eyed, he hadn't realized that nor would he have ever thought that Arcueid was royalty.

"This is the same Arcueid we're talking about here right?" Shirou asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, the True Ancestors used to call her the White Princess." Shiki said as he watched Akiha and Saber go into one of the stores.

Shirou looked around and saw there was an ice cream shop across from the store the girls went into. "Come on, let's surprise them." he suggested and pointed the ice cream out to Shiki.

"Excellent idea." Shiki grinned.

Both of them approached the stand and bought an ice cream. Shirou had gotten Saber a strawberry cone while Shiki got Akiha French Vanilla in a cup with a spoon. It was a bit difficult because neither of them could speak Italian so it just came down to pointing at the menu. Soon after the girls came out of the store and were greeted by Shirou and Shiki offering the ice cream.

"Thank you Shirou." Saber smiled and took the strawberry cone from him immediately dragging her tongue across it.

"Nee-san, what a nice surprise. Thank you." Akiha said with a smile and spooned a small amount of ice cream into her mouth.

"Tonight has been fun but it's getting rather late. I think we should head back home." Akiha looked up at the sky and heaved a relaxed sigh. Nobody else seemed to disagree with her and they all began to walk slowly back to the Tohno place as the girls ate their ice cream. The four of them retraced their steps until they once again walked up the large hill to the mansion, the cool wind blowing through their hair and the full moon shining brightly above the large house.

"By the way Akiha, are you going to need my help tonight?" Shiki asked as he looked up at the moon. He didn't reveal what exactly it was he was asking if his sister needed help was. Shirou wondered what it could be.

Akiha looked a bit upset at her brother's words. "Unfortunately yes. The new shipment is late this week and I'd rather not trouble Kohaku any more than I have to." She said with a sigh and they reached the iron gates out front.

"Don't worry about it Akiha, I'm glad to do it." Shiki reassured her with a smile.

They found that Hisui had been standing there waiting for them, her dress fluttering in the breeze. "Welcome home." She said with a bow and let the four of them in the gate.

"Are you alright Hisui-san? You look a little cold, how long have you been standing out here?" Shirou asked as he and Saber waited behind for Hisui.

The gate gave off a loud metallic click as Hisui locked it behind them. "I have been waiting for an hour. Akiha-sama must have been enjoying herself." She said and began to walk back to the house while avoiding his question on whether or not she was cold.

"Maybe you can come along next time." Shirou suggested, as he and Saber followed her back to the front door.

"That is not possible. I will see you in the morning Shirou-san. Good night." Hisui bowed and began to close the front door.

Shirou grabbed the door before Hisui could close it and she gave a slight yelp. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just thought of something, when does Kohaku-san get up to cook breakfast?" Shirou wanted to cook with Kohaku more, even if it meant getting up at the same time that she did.

Hisui who had cringed at Shirou grabbing the door snapped back to her normal appearance. "Nee-san gets up at six o'clock normally to prepare breakfast." She said still looking a little shaken at the sudden movement by Shirou.

"Thank you Hisui-san. Good night and I apologize again for scaring you." Shirou bowed his head apologetically and let Hisui close the door. He and Saber then made their way around the back of the house to the small Japanese-style house that was in the back.

"Shirou, thank you for tonight. I enjoyed myself." Saber smiled as they reached the small house. Shirou opened the door and ushered Saber inside first.

"Yeah, I did too." Shirou smiled and slid open that led to the bedroom. The two of them entered together and laid down, Saber taking her usual position of letting her hair down and laying her head on Shirou's chest. The two of them closed their eyes and fell asleep holding onto each other.


	9. Broken Blade Works

ACT IX - Broken Blade Works

Shirou's eyes opened slowly as he awoke in the morning. Luckily he almost always woke up early on his own so there was still plenty of time to help Kohaku in the kitchen. He looked to his left and saw that Saber was still asleep and breathing slowly. Carefully, he slid from the bed and got dressed before heading out the door and across the backyard of the mansion.

The sun had just barely poked over the horizon and the morning air was quite cold. Arriving at the back door he looked in the window and saw that Hisui was just inside setting up the dishes. He tapped his finger on the door a couple of times and Hisui looked up at the noise, upon seeing him outside she walked over and opened up the door and let him in.

"Good morning Shirou-san. Do you always get up this early?" Hisui asked as she shut the door behind him.

Shirou nodded. "Good morning Hisui. Has Kohaku started cooking yet?" He asked after greeting Hisui, she looked just the same as she had before as if her appearence never changes.

"Yes, Nee-san is in the kitchen right now." Hisui answered and then returned to her work. Shirou thought she was extremely dedicated and devoted to her job but still has yet to see her smile.

"Thank you Hisui." Shirou turned and walked to the kitchen on the first floor. He could already smell eggs and sausage cooking as he entered the doorway.

Inside Kohaku was happily bustling about, throwing small circular sausages into a skillet. She was wearing her usual outfit of a maid's apron over a black kimono and a blue ribbon tied in a bow in her hair. She as well as her sister were very beautiful, as well as skilled and devoted to their jobs. Shirou could see why Akiha liked having them around so much.

Shirou knocked on the wall before entering and Kohaku turned around to greet him. "Good morning Shirou. You're up awfully early aren't you?" She asked with a curious look. Perhaps she wasn't used to people being up and around at the same time they were.

"Good morning Kohaku. I get up this early all the time, I did the same thing you're doing back home so I'm used to it." Shirou stepped forward to see what she was cooking. It looked like a western-style breakfast. "Mind if I give you a hand?" He asked with a smile.

"Please do, Akiha-sama loved the fruit of our combined effort last night so we might as well keep it up." Kohaku maintained the usual faint smile she kept on her face as she encouraged Shirou to cook with her.

Everyone started to wake up not too long after the cooking was well underway. Akiha was the first to wake followed closely by Saber and Arcueid who Shirou had guessed returned sometime in the night, where she slept nobody seemed to know. After a long while Hisui came down the stairs followed by a desheveled looking Shiki, Shirou guessed that he wasn't much of a morning person much like Rin. Seeing this made Shirou think of her, Sakura and Rider who were hiding out in Rome. He hoped his journeys soon took him back in that direction as he was beginning to miss them.

The breakfast table was once again full, and once again Akiha praised both Shirou and Kohaku on the cooking. Arcueid and Saber both happily ate as well and seemed to imensely enjoy the food.

Just as they were about to leave the table a large crash could be heard and the house shook. Hisui was thrown to the floor and everyone was barely able to keep their balance. The house creeked and everyone stood up from their chairs, Shiki helped Hisui up off the floor and then went to Akiha to make sure she's was not hurt. Arcueid stood up from her chair as another loud noise rocked the foundation of the house and sent dishes flying off of the table.

"What's going on?" Shiki asked as everyone was barely able to keep their balance.

Shirou's heart was starting to pound with adrenaline, he thought it was an earthquake but something in his gut told him to go and look outside. "Saber, come on!" Shirou stood up and ran for the door with Saber at his heels.

"Hold on, you're going to need my help too!" Arcueid said impatiently and then turned to Shiki. "It would be a good idea to leave the city if you can, this is going to be bad." She said urgently.

Shirou and Saber had stepped outside on the hill and what they saw blew their minds. A creature at least 300 meters tall was terrorizing Venice, it had black fur and a mouth similar to that of a humpback whale. It uttered a cry that made everything shudder, Shirou had to cover his ears just to keep his brain from exploding. Arcueid soon arrived and stood next to them, the look in her eyes was one of sheer terror and shock. She began to run down the hill towards the creature, she turned back to look at Shirou and Saber who were still there dumbfounded by the sheer size of the creature.

"Why are you two just standing around!? Come on!" She said impatiently, she knew what kind of devistation that creature could cause and she was terrified that she may not be able to save the city in time.

Saber began to run after Arcueid followed by Shirou, the beast turned to the side and they saw a single tail that split into many smaller tails as it neared the middle. The flailed around like whips, destroying anything they came into contact with. Shirou gritted his teeth, all the people in those buildings were already lost and there was nothing he could do about it.

"You two need to hold him off, I need to find Narbareck and the rest of the Agency. They know more about this." Arcueid said and turned towards the church they went to a couple days ago.

"Arcueid wait?! How the hell do you expect us to fight that thing?" Shirou called after her. The beast was gigantic, nothing Shirou could project could stand up to it and even Saber's Excalibur was probably not good enough either.

"Shirou! We have to hold it off for Arcueid by any means neccesary." Saber urged Shirou on and waited for him to start running again before she followed him.

They ran down the streets towards the gigantic behemoth, Shirou knew it was crazy and he was sure Saber did too. Where did that thing even come from? It didn't even looked like it belonged on Earth. They jumped on the tops of houses and the two of them began to jump from rooftop to rooftop to avoid the crowd of people running away from the creature. The situation was so urgent Shirou didn't even realize he was keeping up with Saber's insane speed.

Shirou projected a long, black bow in his hand as he ran, "I am the bone of my sword." he chanted a line and the air around him reverberated as if a pulse was being sent outward from his whole body. In his right hand he projected a spiral sword that looked like a drill and mounted it on the bow. "Caladbolg!" He shouted the name of the sword as he fired it. The sword tore through the air as if it were a knife through hot butter, as it reached the creature a good mile away Shirou overloaded the sword with his prana causing it to explode and break as it impacted the demon.

The demon roared in pain but it barely flinched and Shirou could see hardly any wounds on the creature. He sighed as he continued to run, Caladbolg was an A rank Noble Phantasm and it didn't even scratch the demon. They would need something even more powerful to put it down, it seemed just too insane. Saber could see the distress in Shirou's face and it concerned her as well.

"Shirou, remember that size does not matter. Do not be demoralized, we need to think of this like a logic problem instead of a battle. What was that saying that is used for situations like this?" Saber reassured him and nodded in his direction.

Shirou took her cue, she was right. All that had to do was find it's weakness. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Shirou answered her last question and kept running, projecting Kanshou and Bakuya after throwing the bow aside.

Arcueid burst into the church, inside were many people bustling about preparing to leave. She went towards the back office where they had spoken with Narbareck and kicked open the door. Narbareck looked up at her with surprise.

"Arcueid?" Her eyes widened as she bustled about the office to gather up her things.

"Why is the King of Earth destroying the town?" Arcueid demanded to know in a panic, if any information could help her then she had to know.

"We don't know, Solomon somehow became... ill. Luckily the others weren't released as well. We think that we were somehow infiltrated in the night. In any case we don't know how long Solomon will be like this so we need to find some way to purify him before his demon destroys the city." She spoke as she gathered up the last of her things in a briefcase and prepared to leave.

"Will destroying the demon work?" Arcueid asked urgently.

"I don't know, it's possible. If it's poison like we think, the demon will regenerate once it's killed and revert to it's original state and under the control of Solomon. Now if you'll excuse me I'd rather not die today I have too much paperwork I need to do." Narbareck slid past Arcueid and began to run for the door.

"Hang on, where can I find you again." Arcueid followed her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Here if the city isn't just a pile of rubble... but if it comes to that we have a backup Headquarters in Rome. In fact we may just move to Rome anyway." She ran off before she was finished the last word. Arcueid had assumed that the rest of the Agency had already escaped as Narbareck would have seen them off before going herself, she was that type of person.

Arcueid looked off in the distance at the raging creature and saw that Shirou and Saber were nearing the area the demon was currently destroying.

Shirou and Saber continued to pump their legs and ran as fast as they were able towards the demon. Saber began to release her sword, pouring prana into it and making it glow with a bright yellow light. Shirou ran up to one of the feet as it came crashing down and narrowly avoided being crushed. He slashed at the ankle of the creature and left several slashes against it's skin, it seemed to only do enough damage as it would have if Shirou had been scratched by a bush.

"Shirou, move!" Saber ordered and she saw Shirou jump out of the way and on top of a nearby building where he began to fire arrows at the creature. Saber positioned herself under the creatures belly and prepared to raise her sword. The sword exploded with a yellow light as she raised it into the air, "EX-!" Saber brought the sword down and called it's name, the legendary sword she wielded in her lifetime. "-CALIBUR!!" A large beam of light shot upwards from the sword and collided with the creatures belly. It roared in pain and blood began to pour down which Saber had to jump away from for fear of being drenched by it.

Shirou and Saber were surprised, The Holy Sword did considerable damage to the creature but did not destroy it. The demon was weakened greatly but it still continued it's reign of destruction. Shirou let the image of the bow fade away and once again projected Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands. "Come on Saber! Let's beat this bastard!" Shirou jumped off the building and dug Kanshou and Bakuya into the outer thigh of the demon's back left leg. He began to climb up using Kanshou and Bakuya as climbing tools, repeateadly sticking the swords into the demon's flesh and working his way upward.

Saber looked up at Shirou and released a burst of prana at her feet, launching her towards the front left leg of the demon and she began to run straight up it's leg with little effort. She reached the top just before Shirou as the gigantic demon roared and tried to shake them off. Saber ran across the creature's furry back and towards the leg where Shirou was climbing. He soon reached the top and Saber helped him up, after he was standing Saber found that he had left Kanshou and Bakuya in the hide of the demon. Once at the top Shirou overloaded the twin swords with prana and made them explode violently, however as he expected it didn't affect the creature much as Kanshou and Bakuya had a lower rank than Caladbolg.

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood." This was Shirou's toughest enemy so far, he may as well reveal his ultimate weapon. As he spoke the words a burst of prana surrounded his body and the air around him reverberated again. Shirou projected a longsword and plunged it into the back of the beast, to him it would hurt no less than being stuck with a needle. Saber meanwhile was also doing what she could, wounding every part of the demon as best she could.

"I have created over a thousand blades." The last time Shirou used this technique it almost killed him, but this time it seemed as if his brain could handle the pressure as he didn't feel any pain at all. He now had no fear of casting the spell, he'd never used it on anything this big but it should work.

"Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain." He continued to chant and watched Saber do everything she could, he knew she could feel the immense pressure coming from him.

"Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival." Just then Arcueid jumped up on the monster's back with the two of them and looked at Shirou.

"Glad to see you two are still alive, how are we doing?" She asked and the other two ran up to her.

"Not well I'm afraid, I injured the creature considerably with my Noble Phantasm but it appears it did not work as well as I had hoped." Saber explained.

"So the river of blood was you eh? Nice work. Do we have a plan on what to do next?" She asked and turned to Shirou.

"I have no regrets, this is the only path." The pressure Shirou was emitting expanded and prana exploded around him like a storm. He turned to Arcueid and Saber, "Just one, it's our last option. I am going to activate my bounded field, when it's activated Saber will use her Noble Phantasm again. Arcueid, I'll need you to increase the velocity of a few special projectiles." Shirou planned to use his Reality Marble as a Broken Phantasm. Every sword he had ever seen was contained in it, if Saber wounded the beast again with Excalibur, that left it open for Arcueid to use her Marble Phantasm to increase the velocity of the swords Shirou throws into the beast. After that... well if they weren't dead Shirou planned to use every sword he can stick into the demon as a Broken Phantasm.

"Are you sure? That sounds extremely dangerous on your part." Saber looked concerned, that would take a great toll on his mind and could even kill him.

"That is very reckless. But now that I think about it, it just might be crazy enough to work." Arcueid seemed to agree with Shirou but at the same time her face held a worried expression.

"Then we're ready?" Shirou asked the two girls. Both of them nodded and he saw Saber pouring prana into her sword to prepare to use Excalibur a second time. Shirou took a breath, "Let's do it." He raised his arm and made a slashing motion in front of him like he was cutting the air. "My whole life was...UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!!" Shirou shouted the name of his Reality Marble and a ring of fire expanded at his feet engulfing himself, Saber, Arcueid, and the demon.

They found themselves in Shirou's world. A red sandy ground with clouds overhead, instead of a sky large gears were turning and on the ground were numerous swords as far as the eye could see and on the horizon the sun shone and gave light to the world. In the center the three of them stood, separated from the creature. It roared and turned to face them.

Shirou began projecting swords as fast as he could. Ten, Twenty, Thirty. Not enough, not enough. Not just swords, but even spears, polearms and other weapons joined the aresenal all powerful Noble Phantasms copied from his strongest foes. Fourty, Fifty. That thing is huge, more swords are needed. Shirou closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could to pull the swords into existance.

The beast began to charge across the ground towards the three of them, Saber began to look nervous and Arcueid stood calmly to do her part.

Sixty, Seventy, Eighty. Almost there. Shirou's mind began to ache, this was a pressure even for his new body he took this to mean this technique would be impossible otherwise. This is something only Counter Guardian Emiya can do. Ninety swords. Swords raised from the ground and pointed at the charging beast, floating in midair and waiting for Shirou's command. Amongst them famous weapons could be seen, Caliburn, Gae Bolg, Vajra and many others.

"Shirou?" Saber shuffled nervously, her sword glowing up the world of it's own accord. Even the ground shook as the creature charged them, a bead of sweat slid down Saber's forehead.

"One hundred! Do it now Saber!" Shirou's eyes shot open, over their heads floated a hundred freshly projected swords.

Saber needed no other order, the beast was too close for comfort and it opened it's whale-like mouth to prepare to swallow them all. Saber raised the blade again, "EX-!" and brought it down to the ground putting as much prana as she could spare into it. "-CALIBUR!!" The light shot from her sword and hit the demon in the face stopping it in it's tracks.

"Sword Barrel... FULL OPEN!" He extended his arm at the command and one after another the swords shot deep into the flesh of the demon, with the help from Arcueid creating a pocket of air around them they plunged deeper than they normally would, tearing flesh and piercing whatever organs the beast had.

The beast howled in pain and Shirou prepared for the final touch. He began to pour almost every ounce of prana into the hundred swords that were deep inside the creature. "BROKEN BLADE WORKS!!" Each of the swords embedded in the flesh of the demon began to explode one by one, each explosion sending a large chunk of the monster flying away from it's body and caused it to howl in pain. One hundred blades, one hundred explosions from inside the creature. The explosions tore the creature apart and soon there was nothing left of it and it faded from existance leaving nothing but a river of blood and entrails behind.

Shirou's Reality Marble faded and returned them to the streets of Venice, he was gasping for air having been almost completely drained of prana. The strain on his body from using his new technique making him fall to his knees, now that he thought about it this was the first time he felt so weak after he became a Counter Guardian. Saber grabbed him around his waist and lifted him up to help him stand.

Where the demon's remains once laid there the group saw a boy that looked no older than fourteen laying on the ground. Arcueid ran towards him and picked him up, his face wasn't that much different from Saber's, save for his dark blue eyes and shoulder length black hair.

"Arcueid, who is that?" Saber asked and Shirou looked at the child as well.

"He's a Dead Apostle Ancestor who is on the side of humans and helps the Church out with things sometimes. Something happened to him that made a particular demon he controls go insane." Arcueid explained briefly as she held the child in her arms.

"That's right, thank you for cleaning up this mess for us. He should be up and around shortly." The group turned around as the voice spoke to find a priest with a white rat on his shoulder. "I can assure you that he's very sorry."

"And you are?" Shirou asked tiredly and looked up at the strange man as Arcueid handed the boy to him.

"Ah, I'm very sorry. I am known as the King of Rats, one of the four demons my master here named Merem Solomon controls. The demon you just fought was known as the King of Earth. I serve as Merem's translator when dealing with normal people." The man began to walk away, "If you'll excuse us, we must have a good long conversation with Narbareck to fill her in on what has transpired here."

Shirou wanted to stop him but he needed rest badly, something in his gut told him that they would meet again soon anyway.

"Come on Shirou let's get you some rest." Saber said and started to walk him back in the direction of the Tohno mansion. He wondered if they had even left town, if they had Saber hoped that they made it out alright.


	10. Nerves of Steel

ACT X - Nerves of Steel

Shirou was exhausted to the point of feeling numbness all over his body from using his Reality Marble in a new way. He had to walk the long way up the hill back to the Tohno Mansion with Saber supporting most of his weight. His breathing was heavy but at least Saber nor Arcueid was hurt and there was minimal damage to the city. The meeting with Merem's spokesperson weighed on his mind, he made up his mind to meet with Merem as soon as possible. Arcueid walked ahead of Saber and Shirou, her shoes clattering on the asphalt along with Saber's armored boots.

As they reached the top of the hill they saw Hisui waiting to let them in. Upon seeing Saber helping Shirou out she rushed to the gate to help them inside, instead of doing things casually like she normally did. Shirou smiled as he noticed this, taking it to mean she was generally worried about his well-being.

"I'll get Nee-san right away, please lay him gently down in the outbuilding." Hisui said as they walked passed her and headed towards the small Japanese-style house that was in the backyard of the Tohno mansion. Hisui rushed into the house to retrieve Kohaku after she shut the gate behind them.

"Hey, thanks for taking care of me Saber." Shirou smiled. He's legs felt like they were spaghetti noodles however he was still able to walk somewhat with Saber's support. They neared the outbuilding just as Kohaku came out of the back door and headed across the lawn.

"There is no need to thank me Shirou, I'm happy I was able to help." Saber's cheek's flushed a little as she led Shirou into the house and eased him onto the bed. Now that she thought back, this was not the worst condition she had seen Shirou in. There were worse occasions back when they first met where Shirou was almost killed. Compared to that, this was nothing more than a hindrance at best. Saber was sure he would be up and around by dinnertime, at least she hoped he would as she was looking forward to dinner.

Kohaku came into the room carrying a small black bag that Shirou suspected was full of medicine and other things. "So Shirou-san, tell me what hurts." She said in a soft voice as she knelt by the bed after setting the bag down.

"Well, nothing hurts exactly. I just have a headache and my body feels numb, I don't think there's anything to worry about really." Shirou said as he looked at Kohaku, she still had that same smile she always wore and her amber colored eyes seemed to hide something behind them. Now that he thought about it, this was the closest that she's ever really been to him. Even when cooking together she'd always kept a reasonable distance; it made Shirou think there was more to her than her smile and happy demeanor.

"I'll be the judge of that, despite what you may feel like you look terrible. So just start by telling me how you became like this." Kohaku leaned towards Shirou with a sincere look in her eyes.

Shirou had to think for a moment, he wasn't sure if Kohaku knew anything about magic or not so he couldn't exactly tell her the truth. However she seemed to know what she was doing as she checked him over. Saber was watching Kohaku and leaning against the wall near Shirou's bed.

"Shirou did something reckless in the fight with that creature and he became like this as a result." Saber ended up answering for him, the answer made Shirou feel a bit guilty as Saber sounded concerned. Maybe it was too much but Shirou thought it was necessary. However Shirou nodded to confirm Saber's answer.

"Why didn't you all leave? That demon could have killed you." Shirou turned his head towards Kohaku and she sat upright to answer his question.

"To put it simply, we all trusted the three of you." Kohaku answered simply.

Shirou didn't know what to say, they seemed to put a lot of faith in him. He wondered if Arcueid had told them anything about him or not, knowing her she probably did.

"It seems like your nerves were almost burnt out. You should be more careful Shirou-san, you could have died." Kohaku wagged her finger like a mother scolding her child, but when Kohaku did it she just looked like she was playing around. The look on her face however was serious.

"Is there anything you can do?" Shirou asked. He wasn't sure if Kohaku had any medicine for him, but even if she didn't he was sure that his body would heal himself in no time anyway seeing as he wasn't exactly human anymore.

Kohaku thought for a moment, "There is one thing yes... but Saber-san isn't going to like it."

Both Shirou and Saber had a puzzled look on their faces. "What is it Kohaku?" Saber asked.

"Let me explain first so I don't create any misunderstandings. My sister and I are a special kind of human that is mixed with the blood of demons. We were from a branch family of the Fujou clan and we're what are called Synchronizers. That means we can share our life force with others through the exchange of bodily fluids." Kohaku explained, she was hesitant to finish her explanation as she was afraid of what their reaction would be.

"Hang on a second, that doesn't mean.... does it?" Shirou hoped it didn't mean intercourse, he could see now why Kohaku said Saber wouldn't like it.

"I cannot allow you to make love to Shirou." Saber said sternly.

"It doesn't have to be that!" Kohaku explained to the both of them. "There are other ways I can synchronize with Shirou-san, just a kiss should do as well."

Shirou's heartbeat sped up. He wanted to be cured but he didn't know if he could go through with it. He'd never heard of a Synchronizer before but it wouldn't be the strangest thing he'd ever seen; besides Kohaku had no reason to lie to him.

Saber looked rather troubled. Finally she heaved a sigh, "If it will help Shirou please do whatever it takes to get him back on his feet." She said reluctantly and walked out of the small house with an upset look on her face.

"Is there no other way Kohaku-san?" Shirou asked as Kohaku stood up.

"Unfortunately not, this is the quickest way." She answered as she swung her leg on the other side of Shirou's legs and lifted herself up as if she was mounting a horse.

Shirou felt Kohaku's weight on his body and it made his heart pound, he wanted to tell her to stop but the words were lost in his throat as Kohaku gently leaned over and cupped his cheeks. Shirou thought she seemed to be doing this with much more care than was needed. She began to lean down and inch her face slowly towards his.

"It'll be a lot easier if you relax Shirou-san." Kohaku said softly, her lips were mere inches from Shirou's.

Shirou thought that he may as well take her advice at this point. He let out a breath and relaxed his muscles; the second he did Kohaku eased her lips onto Shirou's. Kohaku closed her eyes and for a few seconds the kiss remained soft and sweet. Kohaku then forced her tongue passed Shirou's lips and into his mouth. Shirou made a noise, not expecting Kohaku to turn aggressive like she had. She pulled his face closer and began to lick Shirou's tongue, their saliva mixing together in an extremely wet kiss.

The two of them were exchanging so much fluid that it began to leak from their mouths and run between their lips. Shirou's body began to heat up and he instinctively grabbed Kohaku around the waist, she made a surprised noise but didn't seem to mind it. Finally Kohaku broke the kiss and a thin string of saliva connected the two before breaking after pulling apart. Shirou was left panting slightly, his heart beating quickly in his chest. He was glad Kohaku ended it when she did and he wiped his mouth after Kohaku wiped hers.

"Sorry about that... I got a little carried away." Kohaku said nervously as she slipped off of the bed. "You should be feeling better in a few hours. I'll go let everyone else know how you're doing." She said as she headed for the door, as she opened it she stopped and looked back at Shirou. "Saber is a lucky woman. You're an amazing kisser." Kohaku giggled and gave Shirou a playful wink before slipping out the door.

Shirou watched Kohaku leave the house and he heaved a sigh. Kohaku was a beautiful and intelligent woman; he didn't completely hate it when she'd kissed him. It just wasn't the person he would have hoped would be doing it. His thoughts turned to Saber, hopefully she wasn't too upset about all this.

Soon after, it wasn't Kohaku that came back with the others but Hisui who slid open the door and let Saber, Shiki, and Akiha inside before following them. Shirou guessed that Kohaku must have had some other work to do around the house so she couldn't return.

"How're you feeling Shirou?" Shiki asked as he walked across the floor and plopped down on a chair.

"I'm alright, thanks Shiki." Shirou replied and nodded in his direction.

"We watched most of the fight from the house, that last part where you all just disappeared was very worrisome. I am glad to see that you made it Shirou-san." Akiha looked happy, her face told Shirou that she was worried about him when she was watching the spectacle.

"Yes, Akiha-sama and I became worried for your well-being. I am glad to see that you are not seriously injured." Hisui said in her usual monotone voice as she looked at Shirou.

Shirou's lips curled into a smile as he looked at the two of them. "Thanks you two." Akiha smiled back at him, and Hisui bowed courteously.

Saber crossed the room and sat next to Shirou on his bed. "Shirou, are you feeling any better since Kohaku treated you?" She seemed to have gotten over the fact that Kohaku had to kiss him, but Saber was sometimes good at hiding her emotions.

"There's only one way to find out." Shirou moved from the bed and did his best to stand up, his legs shook a little at first and Saber moved to help but was stopped by Shirou. "It's alright, I'm fine." He said with a reassuring smile and then stood up. His legs felt sturdy again after standing for a few seconds.

At that moment Arcueid walked into the room, "Hi Shirou! Are you feeling better?" She asked in her usual cheerful and hyperactive tone.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks Arcueid. Where have you been by the way?" Shirou replied.

Arcueid smiled. "I've been looking around the city. The Burial Agency left for Rome so if you want to go meet Merem Solomon we should leave."

"Arcueid, Shirou has just healed. I think it is a little too soon to talk about leaving yet. I believe it would be better to wait until tomorrow." Saber interrupted.

"I am in agreement with Saber. Shirou should stay the night and leave in the morning." Akiha agreed with Saber.

Arcueid made a sour face, having just been double teamed. "Tomorrow it is then." She said reluctantly. "Ah, one more thing Shirou. You'll be cooking with Kohaku again tonight won't you?" Her eyes lit up, it seemed like she was looking forward to his cooking as much as Saber was. Shirou thought to himself that sometimes Saber and Arcueid acted alike.

"Of course. I think that you guys are making a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be though." Shirou said, his body was more resilient than it was before after been having turned into a Counter Guardian. He guessed that maybe Saber forgot sometimes whenever she worried about him. Arcueid was the only one who seemed to realize that he wasn't a normal human anymore.

"What do you mean? It's only natural that we're concerned about your health." Akiha said. It didn't appear that neither she nor Hisui knew about him just yet.

"What I mean is that I'm tougher than normal people." Shirou explained vaguely, if Akiha didn't know anything about what was going on then there was no need to tell her. It would be better if she weren't involved.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to explain further if I'm to understand what you mean Shirou-san." Akiha looked confused.

Shirou heaved a sigh, "I'm not normal. I'm barely human anymore, in fact a few weeks back I guess you could say I died." He explained reluctantly.

"Are you saying that you're like a ghost Shirou-san?" Akiha said in disbelief.

"To put it simply, Shirou is a spirit in charge of protecting humans. Whenever there is a force out there trying to destroy or harm the race as a whole, Alaya which is the spirit of humans urges him to move." Arcueid stepped in. "Similarly, there is also a Guardian of Earth who we'll probably run into eventually." She said seemingly to herself.

"Yeah, basically." Shirou nodded in affirmation. Despite the new information Akiha didn't even appear phased as she held her normal calm expression.

"I see. Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Akiha said calmly.

"Well, it sounds completely insane doesn't it?" Shirou said as if it should be obvious.

Akiha chuckled lightly. "My brother and I have seen our share of strange things as well. Besides, we watched you and Saber fight off that demon. I knew you two weren't normal then." Her eyes brightened up. It was then Shirou realized that she had been playing with him and only acting angry.

Shirou chuckled. "Akiha that was mean. You had me going for awhile there."

Akiha's lips curled into a smile. "My brother is always telling me to lighten up. Isn't that right Nee-san?"

"Well you're normally so cold. It's about time you let yourself go a little. But I gotta say Sis; it's hard to imagine you playing around too much." Shiki said with a grin.

"Are you implying that I don't know how to have fun?" Akiha pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

Shirou glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Ah, it's almost lunchtime. I have to go cook with Kohaku." He stood up and began to walk for the door.

"I look forward to your meal Shirou." Saber and Arcueid said unanimously. Both of them seemed to enjoy his cooking equally. Both of them looked at each other curiously as Shirou slipped out the door.

Shirou crossed the lawn, leaving the girls to talk amongst themselves until lunch. He opened the back door and walked through the dining room and into the kitchen. Like usual Kohaku was in the kitchen and already cooking, Shirou made a mental note to one day get here before she did. Kohaku was standing on her toes, trying to get something off the top shelf. She was attempting to lift herself on the counter to get it, Shirou didn't want to see her hurt herself so he stepped in.

"Hang on, let me get that for you." Kohaku must not have known he was there because she made a squeaking noise and fell off the counter. She fell backwards and Shirou slid across the linoleum on his knees to catch her before she hit the ground. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you. Are you alright Kohaku?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Shirou." She heaved a sigh of relief and tilted her head back to look at Shirou. "You were pretty quiet, I had no idea you were there." She said before standing up and dusting herself off.

Shirou stood up as well and grabbed the spice that Kohaku was reaching for and handed it to her. By the looks of things, today they were going to be making a simple soup. As they began to throw things like meat and vegetables into the pot Shirou had a flashback of the treatment Kohaku gave him earlier as it seemed to have been the reason he could now walk straight. He realized he never thanked her for it, seeing as she sacrificed something for him.

"Um, Kohaku?" He started nervously. He'd never thanked anyone for kissing him before so this was a new experience for him.

Kohaku was stirring the pot with her eyes closed while humming a tune. "Hm? What is it Shirou?" She said as her amber eyes opened slowly to gaze at him.

"I'd like to thank you for earlier. You didn't have to do that, but nonetheless I appreciate it." He continued as he began to chop a potato on the opposite counter.

"I'm happy I could help." She smiled widely at Shirou as he slid the cut potato into the soup.

Shirou was beginning to think he was starting to become too relaxed in the Tohno house. After the King of Earth attacked the city the buildings that had been destroyed were busy being cleared away. He was sure that something, somewhere was hurting people and it made him a little restless. Perhaps he was enjoying the daily life with the Tohnos and didn't want it to end. Rin, Sakura and Rider began to fill his mind as well. He had brought them here only because Sakura was distraught... yet he forcibly sent them away at the first opportunity he could.

He hoped Rome was safe still, luckily from what Arcueid was saying it seemed like the Burial Agency had another place to set up a base from there. He wondered if Ciel had ran into Sakura, Rin, or Rider surely they would recognize each other and help each other out.

Shirou uttered a sigh, he could feel that it was time to move soon. If he thought that it was time to move, no doubt other forces were moving as well.


	11. Vermilion Moonlight

ACT XI - Vermilion Moonlight

"Shirou, are you feeling alright?" Shirou had been staring blankly at his cup of tea for around five minutes before Saber brought him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine Saber." Lunch had finished and everyone was in the sitting room having afternoon tea. Shirou had been thinking about what was going to happen next, they had been through a lot already. He had a feeling in his gut that said that whatever was coming would make the Holy Grail War seem like a vacation.

"You don't look fine man. What's going on?" Shiki set down his teacup on the coffee table in the center of the room and leaned forward towards Shirou.

"Shirou, if something is bothering you please don't hesitate to talk to us about it." Akiha said before taking a sip of her tea and setting the cup down.

Shirou waved his hand dismissively, "I'm fine. Really. I just got lost in thought is all."

"Well you are planning on leaving in the morning aren't you? Where are you going to go?" Akiha asked.

"We're going to Rome." Arcueid answered before Shirou could speak, she was the only one without tea. In fact whenever they seemed to have tea she either had none or ran off to do something by herself. Shirou was beginning to wonder if she even liked it.

"Then that means tonight we should have a party!" Kohaku, who had been standing beside Akiha to get her anything she asked for, clapped her hands together with excitement.

"That's a good idea Kohaku; we should have a party tonight." Akiha said and everyone seemed to agree with her.

"Then as of tonight, Shirou is barred from the kitchen. This is a farewell party, and he won't be allowed to help me tonight." Kohaku smiled widely.

"What!?" Protests came from Shirou, Saber, and Arcueid. Shirou loved cooking with Kohaku as much as Shirou and Arcueid loved eating the food they cooked together.

"Well you don't expect to work at your own party do you?" Akiha smiled lightly her tone of voice playful as if she already knew what Shirou would say.

"Well yes, otherwise we'd be considered freeloaders right?" Shirou replied.

"It's impossible for friends to freeload." Shiki said as he finished off his tea.

"Now go on. Go have some fun while we get everything ready, just be back by sundown." Akiha said and jerked her head in the direction of the front door, which Hisui had already opened. It seemed even she was excited about the party even though her face didn't show it.

Saber and Arcueid walked out the door while Kohaku had to push a protesting Shirou out forcibly. Once outside Shirou heaved a sigh. "Damn, they could have at least let me do something." He muttered as the three of them began to walk down the large hill towards the city.

"Shirou, are you a workaholic?" Arcueid asked innocently as she walked next to Shirou the afternoon light glistening off of her golden hair.

"Of course not. I just feel like if I'm staying somewhere I may as well help out and do whatever I can." Shirou answered.

Saber walked on the opposite side of Shirou, her long skirt swaying gently from side to side as she walked. "He has always been stubborn like that. When we first met he refused to let me fight because he did not believe it was right for a woman to fight. However he soon came to realize that I was no ordinary woman. Is that not correct Shirou?" Saber turned to him.

"That's right. I still don't like seeing people hurt for my sake." They reached the bottom of the hill and all three of them stopped to decide what they wanted to do for the afternoon. The sun was still high in the sky so they had quite a bit of time before they would be allowed back into the mansion.

"Let's just walk and see where our feet take us?" Arcueid skipped ahead and then turned around with a wide smile. She appeared to be her usual playful self as she grabbed onto Shirou's arm and began to lead him off with Saber following, an angry expression on her face.

"Arcueid, while I have no problem with your plan I do have a problem with you holding onto Shirou like that." She said calmly but her emerald eyes clearly said, "Let go of him or I'll massacre you."

Arcueid sensed Saber's anger and immediately released Shirou's arm, then she raised her hands in the air like somebody that was about to be arrested. "Sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" She said quickly.

Saber caught up to Shirou and stuck by his side. Arcueid led the way and pointed out anything that interested her, soon they entered the downtown area of Venice where the streets were crowded with people. Saber walked closed to Shirou and their hands brushed against each other, Shirou offered her a smile and slid his fingers between hers. Saber closed her hand around his and lowered her head, her hair hid her face but Shirou knew that she was both smiling and blushing.

"Hey, let's go see a movie." Arcueid said after turning around and walking backwards with her hands behind her back. "There's a place up ahead, my treat." She said with a smile.

"How about it Saber?" Shirou turned to her and asked.

"I do not have a problem with it, but won't the two of you feel left out?" Saber tilted her head; neither Shirou nor Arcueid could speak Italian so anything they went to see would bit a bit of a loss.

Arcueid stopped in front of the theater and pointed to a poster of a movie that looked extremely graphic and scary. "If we see something like this it won't matter. Most of the time everybody is screaming anyway right?" Her logic was indeed sound. Shirou wondered how it was she knew something like this was even playing. Shirou and Saber agreed and they walked through the doors and into the theater. It looked like your typical run-of-the-mill theater with red carpeting and the thick smell of over-buttered popcorn. Arcueid bought the tickets by pointing to the picture of the movie and holding up three fingers, Saber did not help because she was too busy enjoying Shirou's company.

The three of them walked into the dark room and found three seats, Shirou once again found himself between the girls. Saber did not let go of his hand even as the curtain rose and the movie started, it was a typical horror movie filled with screaming teenagers and clichéd lines. Nevertheless, Saber got quite startled and even wrapped her arms around Shirou's neck whenever the killer came bursting through walls to scare people. This particular theater was the kind that had no armrests and by the time the movie was over Saber had pressed herself to Shirou's side and was holding tightly onto him.

"Were you two not frightened? The way that man murdered those people was horrible." Saber said as the three of them walked out of the theater, she once again took hold of Shirou's hand and they began to walk back the way they came.

"It wasn't really that great of a movie, the storyline was pretty stale." Shirou said as he looked up to the sky, the sun was on it's way passed the horizon meaning that they should be heading back to the mansion.

"They used way too much blood; even if you decapitate someone like that it wouldn't squirt like a fountain for five minutes. Two seconds maybe." Arcueid shook her head in disappointment and put her hands on her hips.

Saber on the other hand had tingles going through her body whenever she thought about the movie. She'd seen a movie before with Shirou but it was not scary at all for her, in fact she got into the action quite a bit but this time was different.

They reached the hill to the mansion as the sun began to bathe the Earth in a golden light. All three of them were eager to see what the Tohnos had planned for them; they had all afternoon to prepare after all. As they neared the top of the hill they found that Hisui was waiting for them. Hisui was no longer in her maid uniform but instead wore a white sweater with a long purple dress much like Arcueid's. Her short hair seemed to glow in the twilight and Shirou thought that she reminded him of Saber when he first saw her. In fact like Saber, Shirou was sure that Hisui felt more emotion than she let on.

Hisui unlocked the iron gate and opened it. Bowing politely she greeted the three of them, "Welcome back. Please come in and enjoy yourselves." After they were through the gate she closed it and walked back next to Arcueid.

"You look nice Hisui." Shirou commented as the group walked across the lawn to the front door.

"Do you think so? Nee-san picked it out for me." Hisui said as she reached out and grabbed the door handle, opening it slowly. Once inside Hisui led them through the sitting room and into the dining room, there Kohaku was seen in a black sweater and a black skirt.

"Good evening everyone. I'll have dinner ready in a few minutes so just relax until then." Kohaku said with a wide smile as she finished putting the dishes on the table and Shirou noticed there was even a bottle of scotch on the table as well. They obviously knew how to party, but Shirou thought that they didn't seem like the type to do it that often.

Shirou realized that he hadn't seen Shiki or Akiha since returning, he wondered if they were doing something elsewhere like the kitchen. "You two head to the sitting room and relax, I'm going to go look at something." He turned to Saber and Arcueid. If they weren't around then he thought he could sneak into the kitchen and help Kohaku a little bit.

"When you say it like that it makes me curious too, I'm coming with you." Arcueid crossed her arms and nodded her head, as if she was indicating Shirou had no say in the matter.

"Then I will go as well. Arcueid may end up getting you into trouble." Saber said after Arcueid had finished speaking.

"I guess there's no arguing with you two is there?" Shirou chuckled and started to make his way in the direction of the kitchen with Saber and Arcueid following close behind. He had a feeling that Shiki and Akiha were in the kitchen as odd as it may sound, but his suspicions were confirmed when he peeked around the doorway and saw Akiha, Shiki and Kohaku working diligently. Kohaku was cooking dinner while Shiki and Akiha were putting icing on what looked like a cheesecake.

Arcueid peeked her head around the corner next, when she saw the cake her eyes widened. "Oh that looks-" She started to exclaim but Shirou stopped her by putting his finger over her lips.

"Shh." Shirou said but when he turned back he noticed that Akiha was gone. "Hm? Where did Akiha go?" Kohaku and Shiki still didn't seem to notice they were there.

"Why are the three of you sneaking around?" A voice from behind them said. Shirou spun around to see Akiha standing there with her lips pursed and her hands on her hips. She saw Shirou and her eyes narrowed. "You were trying to sneak into the kitchen to help weren't you?" Akiha smirked, knowing that she was right.

Shirou chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

Akiha sighed, "I was just coming to get you to tell you that dinner was ready. But you weren't in the sitting room so I thought you might be here." After that she walked back towards the dining room.

"Well, let's just go sit down with Akiha then." Shirou said and jabbed his thumb in the direction of the dining room.

"I hope Akiha isn't too angry with us." Arcueid said as they reached the dining room.

Akiha was sitting at the head of the table with Shiki at the foot. Shiki was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with a pair of black jeans. Shirou thought that the color actually suited him quite well.

"Hey Shirou, welcome to the party." Shiki said with a bright smile.

"We really appreciate all the effort you've put into this." Shirou said as he sat down, Saber sat between him and Akiha while Arcueid went to the opposite end of the table to sit next to Shiki.

Kohaku began to bring out the food; it looked like she had spared no expense on the meat as tonight's meal consisted of western style barbecue. From what Shirou had seen, Kohaku could cook pretty much anything from anywhere if there was a need for it. This impressed Shirou, and he wanted to stay and cook with her for as long as he could. However unfortunately this would not be possible because they had to continue their mission tomorrow, the vampires released from the Agency's Headquarters shouldn't be left to run around for long.

Hisui poured everyone a glass of scotch, it was the first time Shirou has ever had any alcohol this strong and it almost burnt his throat going down. Saber barely took a sip of it and her cheeks began to flush red.

"This is quite potent; we did not have anything of this caliber when I was alive." She said, surprisingly she was holding it quite well and hot slurring her words despite being drunk.

Even Hisui and Kohaku had a drink though it appeared they were not twins in that aspect as Hisui had less alcohol tolerance than everyone else and within about a half hour of drinking and talking she had fallen asleep on the couch.

Akiha raised her glass indicating she was about to propose a toast. "It's a bit late but I would like to say a few words." Everyone else stopped their talking and looked in her direction. "To new friends, who came to our doorstep and even saved our lives. I thank you, Shirou and Saber. I hope this time is not the last we are able to do something like this."

Everyone else raised their glasses as she finished speaking, "Kampai!!" They shouted in unison and downed whatever was left in their glasses. Soon the bottle of scotch was drained and the moon was high in the sky, Shirou's vision had become rather blurred and he was one of the few still awake. Both Kohaku and Hisui had fell asleep on the couch holding onto each other and Saber had fell asleep on the table with a drink in her hand.

"I guess that means I won." Arcueid hiccupped, she was referring to the drinking contest that she had challenged Saber to. Saber, having the honor of a warrior and could not back down from a battle so of course she obliged.

Shirou looked around the room and then glanced at Shiki. "I think that we should get everyone to bed." He said and walked over to Saber and prepared to lift her up.

Shiki nodded and hobbled over to Akiha and lifted her up to take her to bed. "Arcueid, go ahead and head upstairs I'll meet you after I help Shirou." Arcueid obliged silently and headed up the stairs.

Shirou picked Saber up and cradled her in his arms as he headed out of the house. Despite being quite drunk he was able to walk just fine, even if his head was slightly fuzzy. He passed Hisui and Kohaku sleeping on the couch, he thought they looked very cute sleeping with one another and it brought a smile to his face. With some difficulty Shirou managed to open the door outside and walked outside, shutting the door behind him with his hip. He crossed the lawn and opened the door to the Japanese house; he entered the bedroom inside and gently laid Saber on the bed. Her cheeks were still flushed and she was breathing slowly, her hair had been jostled and was lying over her face. Shirou raised his hand and gently slid the hair aside; he then leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.

At that moment Saber woke up just as Shirou backed away from her to leave. "Shirou, where are you going?" She said tiredly with her eyes half closed, the moonlight shined through the windows and glistened off of her emerald eyes.

Shirou turned around when he heard Saber's voice. "I'm going to put the twins to bed; I'll be back before you know it." He smiled and Saber watched him leave. Shirou left the house and made his way back across the dark lawn and into the house; he passed the couch where Shiki was just carrying Hisui up the stairs.

"Wait a second Shiki, where's Kohaku's room?" He said as he lifted her off the couch, she was surprisingly light to him.

Shiki turned around as he heard Shirou, "It's the one opposite Hisui's, just follow me." He said groggily and began to walk towards the east wing of the mansion.

Shirou nodded and carried Kohaku up the stairs, as he reached the top she opened up her amber eyes and looked at Shirou blankly. "Shirou-san?" She whispered tiredly, Shirou was just glad she didn't get startled and start squirming around. "Is Hisui-chan okay?" she asked.

"Hisui is still sleeping; Shiki is carrying her to bed right now." Shirou replied quietly and smiled down at her. As he said that Shiki opened up a door on the left side of the hallway and carried Hisui inside. Shirou reached the opposite door and opened it, he carried Kohaku inside and laid her down on her bed.

Kohaku smiled, "Somehow... it feels nice being carried by you." She said as she pulled the sheets up around her.

"Goodnight Kohaku." Shirou said and as he started to leave Kohaku grabbed his hand.

"Take care of Akiha tonight for me... there's a full moon tonight." Kohaku says something strange before letting his hand go.

Shirou thought it was just some aftereffects of the alcohol talking, he closed Kohaku's door and walked down the hallway while holding onto the railing as he went down the stairs. The house felt quiet and the only sound that could be heard were Shirou's footsteps as he walked through the house and to the back door. He took one last look around before opening the door and heading out into the yard. Kohaku was right, in the midnight sky the full moon was shining brightly, the cool breeze washed over Shirou and he stood there and enjoyed it for a few seconds before making his way back to the Japanese house.

Saber was still awake and was waiting for him, "Welcome back, Shirou." She said with a faint smile.

"If you're that tired, I don't expect for you to wait for me." Shirou said as he crawled into bed next to Saber.

"Going to sleep isn't the same without you by my side." She replied as she slid her arm around Shirou's waist and laid her head on his chest.

Shirou slid his arms around her slender body and began to slowly stroke her hair, which she had let down while he was taking Kohaku to bed. "Goodnight Saber." He whispered. He closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep while stroking Saber's hair.

Not long after Shirou heard a voice in his head calling his name. He opened his eyes slowly, and caught a flash of red leaving the sliding door to the house. Saber was in a deep sleep and the moonlight was shining through the window. Not a sound could be heard in the small house, "Shirou..." The voice called his name again and Shirou gently slid Saber aside and sat up, he swung his legs over the bed and slid on his boots. He quietly walked across the floor and opened the door and stepped out into the cold air, in the trees in the back of the mansion he caught the flash of red again, what looked like bright red hair could be seen walking into the trees.

Shirou followed it and entered the trees, as he neared the figure it began to take shape. "Akiha?" Shirou followed the silhouette. He walked through the trees, occasionally pushing a branch aside. He entered a small clearing with an old looking gazebo, in it Akiha was standing and staring up at the moon. Her hair was a bright red color, Shirou approached her slowly because in her eyes he didn't see the normal Akiha. Something was different.

Akiha turned her head slowly in his direction, her head tilted lazily to the side. "Such a beautiful moon tonight. Isn't it?" She said lazily as she turned her body and began to walk towards him.

"Yes it is, but why are you out here? And why is your hair red?" Shirou asked, he didn't know exactly what was going on but Akiha was getting closer to him. The sound of leaves crunching under her feet and the sound of the two of them breathing were all that could be heard within the quiet clearing.

"All will be explained in time." She said as she stood mere inches away from Shirou. She raised an arm and slid her fingers along Shirou's armor.

Shirou backed away from her, "Akiha, what are you doing?" He asked her. She just kept coming closer to him and Shirou had to keep backing up.

"I need some of your blood Shirou." Akiha's eyes were only half opened, the sapphires in her eyes looked blank and distant. She continued to back Shirou up, coming ever closer.

"My blood?" Shirou said in a confused voice, he was backed into a tree and Akiha was right in front of him.

"Yes, I can no longer contain the impulse." She said something like that and found the clasps that held Shirou's armor to his chest, with a click she undid them and it fell to the ground. With the armor off Shirou raised her hands and ran her fingers along Shirou's chest.

"Akiha... wait." He pleaded. He hoped Akiha wouldn't kill him, if she was going to do what he thought she was he might have to fight her. He didn't want to do that so he just stuck to trying to appeal to her, somewhere inside her the Akiha he knew must still be there.

Akiha didn't hear him but instead lifted up the t-shirt he wore under his armor and dragged her tongue across his chest. The warm, wet sensation made Shirou shiver and he tried to push Akiha away. She simply grabbed him around the waist and pulled his chest near her mouth. Akiha opened her mouth and bit down on the soft flesh of the left side of Shirou's chest. Shirou gritted his teeth in pain, Akiha's teeth were that of a normal human's and thus were not made for penetration like a vampire's. Once his chest had begun to leak the sweet, crimson liquid Akiha put her lips to the wound and began to lap up the blood that dripped out.

Shirou did not want to hurt her so he just let her take what she wanted from him. As long as she didn't take too much, his body would heal and his blood would be replenished. Even as he looked down at Akiha her hair was starting to turn back to its natural color. He didn't know what was going on, but if a little of his blood would return her to normal he saw no need to even fight her unless the situation became life threatening.

Akiha's throat moved as she drank Shirou's blood, her fingers digging into his back so he couldn't escape. The more of the warm liquid that went down her throat, the calmer she began to feel. Soon her hair had returned completely normal and her lips released Shirou's chest, a small amount of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes opened wider and the color returned to them as well.

"Shirou...-san?" She spoke as if she was in a daze, her legs became weak and she began to sink to the ground.

"Akiha?" Her eyes had closed and she had fallen unconscious. "Akiha!?" Shirou called her again but she remained unconscious. Shirou uttered a sigh. "Damn, I had a few questions for you." He complained to Akiha even though she was unconscious and cradled her in his arms after slipping his armor back on.

He carried her back across the lawn and into the house, unfortunately he had no idea where her room was. He was sure he had seen her come from the same direction as Shiki when they had first met so her room was most likely in the west wing up the stairs. As he began to ascend the stairs Akiha opened her sapphire colored eyes.

"Nee-san?" She looked up at Shirou in a half asleep state.

Shirou shook his head. "No, Shiki is asleep. Do you remember anything that happened earlier?" He asked.

Akiha looked downwards as if she was ashamed of herself. "Yes... I apologize from the deepest part of my heart Shirou-san. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you..." Her voice trailed off.

Shirou looked around the hallway of the west wing of the mansion where they were now. "Hm, well you can start by telling me where your room is."

"It's the door at the end of the hallway before the window." She spoke with a sad tone in her voice.

Shirou managed to open the door and push it open with his hips, the room looked different from what one would expect from the owner of a rich mansion. The bed was surprisingly simple, in fact the only thing that looked extravagant were the curtains on the window. He gently laid Akiha down on the bed and she sat up and looked at Shirou.

"You deserve an explanation." She said and sat politely, motioning for Shirou to sit as well.

Shirou obliged her and sat down on the side of the bed, eagerly awaiting an explanation as to what happened earlier.

"My family comes from a long line of half-demon hybrids. It's different from person to person but my body uses up more heat than a normal person." She began. "People like my family are prone to losing control of their human selves and their demon blood takes over, this is what you witnessed earlier." Shirou sat and listened, it certainly didn't seem farfetched he's seen many crazy things in the world. He guessed it was time to add another one to the list. "My hair turns red when I am close to losing control, but thankfully I can keep this in check by drinking blood. Normally I drink medical blood used for transfusions but sometimes it's hard to come by, in that case Shiki or Kohaku allow me to drink some of theirs." She explained further.

"You're not deadly like a vampire are you?" Shirou asked.

Akiha shook her head, "No, the warmth of the blood simply helps me keep the impulses of my demon blood in check." She relieved Shirou's fears that he might become like her if bitten.

"I see. I guess there's nothing to worry about then." Shirou said with a smile and stood up from the bed.

"What do you mean? I could have seriously hurt you if I had been lost any further." Akiha was almost surprised at his answer, as if she didn't expect that he would forgive her.

Shirou shrugged. "Maybe, but I'll heal just fine. I just wish you would have told me sooner, I would have gladly helped you. You shouldn't worry so much Akiha, pain is a part of life. Take all of your pain and shoulder it, if your loved ones have trouble shoulder theirs as well. It is this that gives me the strength to keep walking forward." Shirou said with a faint smile.

"Shirou..." Akiha saw Shirou in a new light that night. He was a strong man who used his pain as strength, instead of let it run his life.

Shirou walked towards Akiha's bedroom door and prepared to leave, before exiting the room he turned to Akiha one last time. "It's late and I'm sure both of us are very tired. Goodnight Akiha-san." He said and closed the door behind him. He heaved a sigh and then made his way out of the house and back to the small Japanese house in the back of the mansion. He slowly crawled back into bed with Saber, exhausted and already half asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Saber was still fast asleep, he thought about the events of the night as he lay there.

He had found quite a few new friends and even though they would have to part ways the next morning, Shirou had a feeling that they would meet again before this was all over. He enjoyed cooking with Kohaku and talking with Hisui and Shiki, Akiha began to interest him more now that he found out that she was a half-demon. Shirou's eyes closed slowly and he drifted off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow he would return to Rome to meet Merem Solomon and hopefully catch up to Rin, Sakura, and Rider.


	12. Bow and Crown

ACT XII - Bow and Crown

Shirou woke up the next morning to Saber moving around him to get herself up. When she noticed he was awake she turned to him and smiled, "Good morning Shirou." She greeted him warmly. He sat up and returned her greeting.

Shirou got himself out of bed and prepared himself to use the shower in the small house. As he undressed himself he examined his chest where Akiha had bitten him the the night before. It looked alot worse than he'd previously thought, like a small chunk had been taken out of it. He shrugged at himself, finishing up his shower and pulling his armor on. He walked to find Saber just pulling her shirt down. She grabbed the ribbon she normally tied in a bow around her neck before Shirou grabbed her hand to stop her. "Shirou? What are you doing?" She asked in a surprised voice, her cheeks flushing a little.

"Let me do that. I've always wanted to do it at least once." Shirou replied after grabbing hold of the silky blue ribbon and sliding it out of Saber's hand. She was usually the one that took care of him and he rarely got to repay the favor. Since they had been reunited they rarely had time on their own and it has been hard to do intimate things that a normal couple do. Just then it dawned on Shirou, he had started thinking of he and Saber as a couple. The more he thought about it, the more it turned out to be true. Both of them cared greatly for one another yet neither have really expressed their feelings to one another.

"If that is what you wish." She said and turned around to allow Shirou to slip the ribbon around her neck and tie it into a bow. Letting him do this almost made her feel at home and relaxed, there wouldn't be much time to do carefree things once they were on the road. Once the ribbon was secured around her neck Saber turned around and gave Shirou a faint smile, "Thank you." She said and the both of them walked to the door together to prepare to have breakfast one last time with the Tohnos.

They opened the back door and entered the dining area where Hisui was setting up the dishes. "Good morning Shirou-san and Saber-san." She greeted them with a bow.

"Good morning Hisui-san." Shirou and Saber greeted her in unison.

"Shirou-san, your presence was requested by Akiha-sama and my sister. I believe they are in Akiha-sama's room." She said before turning to walk away to attend to her other duties.

Shirou wondered what the two of them together could want, so he headed upstairs followed closely by Saber. "Shirou, what do you think they could want?" She asked him as they turned into the west wing where Akiha's room was.

"It probably has to do with last night." Shirou sighed, "I told Akiha not to worry about it, she probably still feels guilty." He thought out loud.

Saber had a curious look on her face as she clearly didn't understand what was going on. What had Akiha done that she would have to feel guilty about? Shirou grabbed the knob and opened the door to find both Akiha and Kohaku sitting on Akiha's bed. Kohaku had a first aid kit in her hand. Saber followed Shirou into the room and stood beside him.

"Akiha... didn't I tell you not to worry about it?" Shirou said however Akiha had a sullen look on her face that almost made him feel bad.

"That won't do Shirou-san." Kohaku said and wagged her finger at him. "Akiha-sama feels guilty, if anything it would give her some peace of mind to at least let me look at you." It appeared that Akiha had already told her what had happened last night, and having been worried about him had asked Kohaku to look at his wound.

"It is just as Kohaku says. It would make me feel a lot better." She then turned her attention to Saber. "Pardon me for not greeting you earlier Saber-san, I have some business with Shirou." She apologized politely to Saber.

"That is fine, but what sort of business? Did something happen to him?" Saber asked. Something had happened to Shirou that Akiha felt guilty about but she had no idea what it could be.

"I am trying to get Shirou to reveal it, but it seems he is being as stubborn as my brother." She sighed and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Alright, alright. You win Akiha, if it will make you feel better." Shirou reluctantly began to unclasp his armor. He thought Akiha was worrying too much, she knew that he wasn't normal yet she still insisted on acting this way. He slipped the armor off along with the white overcoat and T-shirt, baring his chest before the three women in the room.

Saber walked to the front of Shirou as Kohaku stepped forward to look at his wound. "When did you recieve this?" She asked, her emerald eyes looked stern and cold.

"Last night, I was not myself and in a daze I attacked Shirou. Please to not be too angry Saber-san. No matter how many times I apologize, it doesn't make me feel any better." Akiha said sadly, lowering her face. Her raven hair slid down to hide her face.

Kohaku began to administer some anteceptic to Shirou's chest which made it burn slightly. "Akiha, I said it was fine if it helped you out didn't I?" He said in an attempt to make her feel better.

"Akiha? You attacked Shirou?" Saber asked sternly, it did not feel as if she would attack Akiha but she was certainly angry with her.

"Yes, as I explained to Shirou I am not a normal human. The Tohno family is a line of half demons, and my body consumes more heat than a normal person. I have to constantly control my demonic blood, however by consuming blood I am able to keep this in check. The medical blood I normally drink has been hard to find lately... and last night I lost control. Please understand I was not myself." She explained in a pleading voice as if trying to make Saber forgive her.

"I see. I will forgive you this one time as I can see that you are very worried for Shirou's well-being. But be warned, if this ever happens again you will not be forgiven." Saber looked at Akiha with cold eyes as she spoke.

Kohaku finished cleaning the wound on Shirou's chest and taped some gauze over it. "There, that should do." She said with a smile and began to pack her supplies back up.

"I understand Saber-san." Akiha said, her voice still apologetic.

Kohaku finished packing the medicine back up. "Now then, breakfast should be ready so please come downstairs." She exited the room and Akiha simply sat on her bed silently.

Shirou slipped his shirt and armor back on and Saber grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room before he got the chance to console Akiha some more. Shirou said nothing, because Saber had every right to be angry. Especially because of the way she found out about it, perhaps it would have been better if Shirou told her before they came in for breakfast. They found Shiki and Arcuied already sitting at the table and chatting once Shirou and Saber entered the dining room.

"Morning you two." Shiki greeted them with a grin.

"Hi! So, I thought that if we leave right after breakfast we should be able to reach Rome by sundown if we hitch a ride there." Arcueid wasted no time in getting right down to business.

"Yes, I think we should move as soon as possible." Saber nodded in agreement as Kohaku brought out breakfast which consisted of omlettes, toast, and grapefruit.

Shirou was a bit upset that he didn't get to help Kohaku with breakfast this morning but nonetheless he was glad that he at least got to eat with everyone one more time. "Is Akiha not coming down?" Shirou asked Kohaku.

Kohaku shook her head. "Akiha-sama has a migraine this morning so she will be taking breakfast in her room."

"I see, in that case tell her goodbye for me would you? We plan to leave right after breakfast." Shirou said as he cut a chunk off of his omlette.

"Of course, you will be missed Shirou-san." Kohaku said with a faint smile.

Shirou ate his breakfast slowly but eventually he had to finish. It was delicious as Kohaku's cooking always was. Akiha came downstairs to see the three of them off as they walked out to the iron gate escorted by Akiha, Shiki, Hisui, and Kohaku. Hisui unlocked the gate for the three of them and bowed. There was a slight breeze in the air and the clouds were dark, indicating it was most likely going to rain soon.

"Goodbye Hisui-san." Shirou said with a smile.

"Shirou-san, please take care of yourself and try not to get hurt. I would very much like for us to meet again." Her eyes looked almost sad.

"Of course, I haven't seen you smile ever since we've met. I can't die happy without seeing that at least once." Shirou grinned. A blush appeared on Hisui's face and she made no attempt to hide it nor did her facial expression change.

"Take care of Arcueid for me Shirou. She can be a bit troublesome at times." Shiki said as he and Shirou shared a handshake.

"Hey Shiki, what's that supposed to mean?" Arcueid pursed her lips.

"I'm sure we'll meet again Shirou-san. When that time comes, please help me with the cooking some more." Kohaku said with a wide smile.

Finally Akiha approached Shirou. "I apologize again for last night. If you ever find yourself in Misaki then please pay us a visit." She said.

"I will. Take care of yourself Akiha." Shirou said with a smile.

"Shirou, we'd best be off." Arcueid said and began to walk down the hill.

"Goodbye everyone. Take care of yourselves." Shirou waved to them and turned his back to the mansion, walking next to Saber down the hill the breeze ruffled the white shroud around his waist as the three of them made their way out of Venice.

"Do you think Senpai is alright? Its been several days now." Matou Sakura said as she sat on the bed of the hotel room hugging her pillow and staring out the window at the dark clouds forming in the sky.

"He's probably fine. I'm sure he'll be back soon." Tohsaka Rin poked her head out of the bathroom as she was drying her hair to make Sakura feel better. "Saber and Arcueid are with him, so there's not really any way he can come to any serious danger." She gave her sister a reassuring smile.

"Hm." She nodded, not really believing it. How could he just send them away like that with no word to where they would be going? The first day it seemed like it would be alright, like he would come and get them right after they had disposed of whatever danger was threatening them. But as time dragged on Sakura began to worry.

"Instead of moping around, why don't we go sightseeing? We're in Rome you know. Why don't we go and have some fun while we wait for Shirou?" Rin suggested as she finished doing her hair. She glanced at the bored looking woman sitting in a chair reading a book with her legs crossed. "What do you think, Rider?" She asked.

The woman pushed up her glasses and looked up at Rin. "If that is what Sakura wishes then I will gladly accompany the two of you." Rider said and then returned to her book. Rider had become rather lazy it seemed.

Sakura looked out the window, she didn't think it would be raining for awhile and Rin did have a point. Instead of sitting around they should go do something. "You're right Nee-san. I once heard that the art museum here was very good. Let's go there." Sakura looked over at Rider, who nodded. Rider licked her finger and folded the page she was on in her book before closing it.

Rin clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's get going." She exclaimed with excitement and gathered up a few things, including a small bag of gems and the Kaleidostick in case they ran into trouble. With all the dangerous things that have been going on lately it was always good to run around prepared for anything. Since arriving at the hotel and having nothing to do besides wait for Shirou, Rin had been practicing using the Kaleidostick. It appeared that it didn't like Rin too much as she always ended up in embarrassing situations, but nonetheless it would prove to be a valuable weapon.

The three girls left the room and walked down the cheaply carpeted hallway and out the front double doors and outside. The air was cool and the smell of spring rain was heavy on the air, there was a slight breeze blowing and the sky was slowly but surely starting to darken. They walked down the sidewalk until a taxi drove by, Rin whistled loudly and waved her arms and the taxi stopped. The three of them ran towards it and opened the door.

"Hm? Japanese?" The taxi driver asked. He was a disheveled looking man, pretty much the cliched look of a taxi driver.

The three girls sighed in relief, it was a miracle that the taxi driver spoke their language. "Yes, thank god you speak Japanese." Rin said out loud.

The taxi driver chuckled, "Yeah, took it for four years in high school. Where to?" He smiled.

"The art museum please." Sakura leaned forward so the driver could hear her and brushed a lock of her purple hair behind her ear.

"Alright, hang on ladies." The man smirked and stepped on the gas and they were off down the street.

After some rather cliched banter between the taxi driver and the three girls they soon arrived at an impressive looking art museum complete with stone lions overlooking the entrance on pillars. They exited the taxi and paid the fee, (Rin had wisely exchanged some of her yen for the local currency earlier).

"Hold on a moment." The taxi driver said and Rider turned around, having been the last one to exit the car. The man held up a piece of paper, "That's my cell number, since I'm one of the few people who speak Japanese I thought you might need it. It would be difficult for you three if you ride with somebody who only speaks Italian right?" He said with a smile.

"Thank you very much. May I ask you your name sir?" Rider offered him a smile, her long hair blowing in the wind, taking the piece of paper out of his hand.

"The name's Michael. If any of you ladies call me, believe I'll help you out in a heartbeat." The man smiled before driving off.

"That man seemed very nice." Rider said after pocketing the driver's number. The three of them walked up the stone steps and entered the art museum.

"We were lucky he spoke Japanese." Rin said as they walked through the museum and looked at the various paintings, surprisingly the place seemed to be empty as they didn't see a single person while walking around.

"Where is everyone?" Sakura asked, she had a worried look in her eyes as if she felt like something was wrong. The place was deadly quiet, there was no sound anywhere save for their footsteps.

They turned a corner to another hallway filled with paintings. The abstract faces and shapes seemed to stare back at them. The colors on the walls blended with the paintings and almost disoriented them. A sweet smell began to fill their noses, along with the horrible smell of rotting flesh. The three of them came to the corner, all of them silent. They were apprehensive to look around the corner as if they knew something horrible waited for them on the other side. Rin put her finger up to her lips and Sakura nodded. She poked her head around the corner and gasped.

Before her eyes lay about five people, at least what were left of five people. It was basically just a large pile of meat in a pool of blood, the bodies looked like they had completely torn limb from limb. Rin came back around the corner and dropped to the ground on all fours, she sped up her breathing to try to control the contents of her stomach that were threatening to rise.

"Nee-san!" Sakura exclaimed and ran to her sister's side, knelt down next to her and began to stroke her back.

Rin took a deep breath and then looked up at Sakura. "I'm alright Sakura." She reassured her with a smile and then stood up.

Rider looked around the corner for herself and her eyes widened. "I suggest we leave." She said calmly and began to back away. Sakura and Rin nodded in agreement with Rider. The group turned around to find several more people covered in blood and standing up in the hallway blocking the way out in the narrow hallway. All of them had protruding canines, they were the Shisha - The Dead. Familiars of a vampire who gather blood for the vampire when it cannot move around freely.

Rin opened her bag of jewels and took several of them out. She'd rather not have to use them for fear of harming the paintings but she figured that sacrifices had to be made if she was going to make it out of here alive. "Are you ready Sakura?" Rin said, positioning the jewels between her fingers for easy throwing in case she needed to use them. Though there were only about ten of them filling up the hallway so there was no need to go all out if it wasn't necessary.

Sakura raised her left arm, and a blackness began to materialize along it. It was the combination of her Shadow Element and the curse of Angra Mainyu, she had learn to control it thanks to Shirou saving her from being possessed by it many years ago. "Yes. Let's go Rider." She said and prepared to fight.

Rin began by Gandr shooting one of them in the head. As expected it had no effect and the Shisha was only knocked down for a few seconds. The group began to move forward before Rider materialized her nail-like weapons and threw it at one of them, impaling it in the head and easily tearing it off. The head and the body turned to dust and evaporated upon hitting the ground. The Shisha were basically in the process of decomposing so it was quite easy to rip off limbs as their skin was about as easy to rip as paper. Sakura made a motion with her hand as if she were pitching a softball and a wave of pink energy spread across the floor and sped towards the Shisha, effectively cutting off the legs of the entire group and sending them tumbling to the ground.

Rin then threw a jewel on the ground and when it released the prana contained within it a wave of ice froze the floor and the Shisha along with it. "I think that's our cue to leave." She said and began to run back the way they came with Sakura and Rider following closely behind her. The Shisha were now immobilized and it was easy for the three of them to escape by running on top of them. They burst out of the entrance and stopped.

Rin sighed, "It figures, the one time we go out to have fun while Shirou is gone we have to deal with zombies." She said with an annoyed voice. Unfortunately it had started to rain softly while they were inside. Nobody was outside save for a few cars heading home, which wasn't rather unusual.

"Nee-san, what if they come back?" Sakura asked, looking behind her through the glass doors.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Rin reassured her with her soft voice and a smile.

"Rin? Sakura? Rider?" A female voice was heard along with the rain pattering on the road.

"Who's there?" Rin looked around and asked.

A woman jumped down from a lamppost, she had short bluish-black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a priest's robe and a pair of brown boots. "It's been awhile hasn't it?" She said with a smile.

"Ciel-san! Why are you here?" Sakura asked excitedly upon seeing her familiar face.

"There was a report of some Shisha in the area and I followed their trail here." She said while scanning the area.

"I am afraid you are a little late for that Ciel, we have already disposed of them." Rider said in her usual cold tone of voice.

"Is that so?" She said with a surprised voice. She put a finger to her lips as if she was thinking about something. "I need the three of you to come back with me." She started to walk back down the street.

The three girls looked at each other and nodded, running after Ciel in the rain. "Ciel-san where are we going?" Sakura asked after they had caught up with her.

"The local headquarters of the Burial Agency. Our base in Venice was attacked recently so we moved here." She said as she scanned the area while walking, as if making sure they were not being followed. She led them on a walk through many alleyways within the city, the rain began to pick up. Ciel stopped before a brick wall in a side alleyway, the three girls stopped behind her.

Ciel looked around and then knocked on the wall three times. The wall opened to reveal a dimly lit tunnel, Ciel went inside followed closely by Rin, Sakura, and Rider. Once inside several men who had been guarding the door looked up as the door closed. The stone hallway was lit by many lanterns, and it looked like it had been carved out under the whole block. Their feet pattered on the ground as Ciel let them through the many chambers, occasionally turning a corner and going down another hallway.

Sakura looked curiously into each room as they walked by, a couple of them even looked like offices. They followed Ciel through the facility until they reached a door, Ciel knocked and a woman opened it.

"Back already? You didn't kill those Shisha that quick did you?" She asked.

"I arrived late, these three had already killed them by the time I got there." Ciel answered apologetically as she introduced Rin, Sakura, and Rider.

"I see, so that's how it is huh? Well friends of Emiya's are friends of mine, you're welcome to stay here if you want until he finds you. In fact, this would probably be the first place he'd try to find." The woman who had introduced herself as Narbareck answered with a smile.

A patter of footsteps could be heard from outside as if somebody was running frantically through the hallways outside, the door burst open to reveal a man in a priest's robe with blood pouring out of the socket where his left arm used to be. "Ma'am! It's here!" The man shouted frantically as he panted to catch his breath. The look he had in his eyes was pure terror, as if something had scared him out of his mind.

"Slow down, remember who you are working for. Now tell me clearly and calmly what happened." Narbareck put her elbows on the desk and folded her hands together, whatever this man had to say she had to get a clear picture.

The man seemed to collect himself after taking a deep breath. "I was chasing after some Shisha in the north district of town by the Roman Colosseum, I went in to investigate and found Ancestor number one waiting there." He told her calmly while clutching his stump of an arm.

Narbareck's eyes widened with surprise. "Altrouge..." She muttered to herself. She looked up at the man. "Get yourself to medical right away. I'll take care of it." The man bowed and then left the room.

"Ciel. I want you to take Crown with you and investigate this. If the Hound of Altrouge is here, then we're in for a lot of trouble." She had a worried look on her face, she uttered a sigh and then looked up at Rin, Sakura, and Rider. "It seems you three came at a bad time, I suggest hiding out here for the time being." She said as she shuffled some papers on her desk.

"I want to go help Ciel-san." It seemed that Sakura had already made up her mind about the issue as her voice sounded determined.

Narbareck looked up from her desk. "I wouldn't reccomend it, but I'm not going to stop you if you go."

"If you're coming with me then hurry, we have to find Merem." Ciel rushed out the door followed by the other three girls.

"So who is this Crown?" Rin asked as they rushed through the stone carved hallways.

"He's one of the most powerful Dead Apostle Ancestors, he works for the Church sometimes when we're in a pinch like now." Ciel turned a corner and headed deeper into the facility.

"Is he close by?" Sakura asked. It was a bit hard for her to run in the dress she was wearing but she still managed to keep up with them.

"Fortunately he's been hanging around here since yesterday." She turned another corner and there were a series of rooms lining the walls. Ciel slowed down to a walk and the other three girls followed her lead. Ciel stopped next to a wooden door and knocked. "Merem, are you in there?" She asked.

"Yes, just a moment." A voice from inside the room came and the door opened. The four girls had to look down as a boy that looked no older than twelve stood before them. "Greetings, what can I do for you?" He said with a smile, Sakura then looked down and noticed a large white rat on his shoulder nibbling on what looked like a jewel with a crown engraved on it. He had many rings on his fingers as well as a red tatoo of a crown on the back of his right hand, his straight black hair hung down to his shoulders as he greeted the four of them.

"We have reason to believe that Altrouge and her hound are in the city. I need you to come with us to intercept The White Beast." Ciel said, her eyes were stern and full of urgency.

"The Black Princess here? Say no more, I'll come with you right away." It seemed like Merem understood what was going on, as he immediately came outside and shut the door behind him.

"Who are these charming ladies?" Merem looked up at Rin, Sakura, and Rider with a warm smile.

"This is Rin, Sakura, and Rider." Ciel introduced each of them and Merem bowed politely.

"It's a pleasure. Now that we're all acquainted I suggest we move." Merem said returning to seriousness.

Ciel began to lead them down the hallway with Merem picking up the rear.

"Do you know anything about what's going on? You still speak to Trhvmn don't you?" Ciel asked Merem. They walked at a brisk pace down the halls and back the way they came. Sakura thought the place looked extremely plain and that a few pictures might spice up the place a little, it was extremely confusing for her as most of the walls looked the same.

"Some. Trhvmn doesn't let me in on too much information these days but I believe The Black Princess is trying to summon The Dark Six by gathering every Dead Apostle Ancestor she can." Merem seemed deep in thought for a moment, like he was trying to put pieces of a puzzle together.

"That would explain the increase in vampire attacks, not to mention the attack on our main headquarters." Ciel sighed. "It looks like we're going to be busy for awhile."

Rin, Sakura, and Rider couldn't understand much what Merem and Ciel were talking about but it didn't sound good at all. The group reached the door outside and they stepped outside into the rain.

"How do we find this White Beast?" Rider spoke up and asked, her long purple hair almost reached the ground, and it was tied with a bow on the end. Her glasses had tiny amounts of raindrops on them, every so often she closed her eyes, took them off and dried them on her shirt.

"Shisha, if I'm correct the increased activity is from Altrouge's feeding. We find her, we find the Beast." Merem said and began to turn a corner.

"Hang on, something has been bothering me." Rin spoke up and Merem stopped to listen to her. "If this Altrouge is a Dead Apostle Ancestor, how is she able to walk around in the daytime like this?" Rin asked, it was a good question. Although it was dark out, it was because of the clouds. However, ultraviolet radiation was still leaking through the clouds which is what vampires have a deadly reaction to.

"That is because she was born from a True Ancestor and a Dead Apostle. It seems she can stand sunlight to a degree, though I imagine direct contact with it would still burn a bit." Merem answered.

"What about you?" Sakura asked in a confused tone, "You are just a Dead Apostle Ancestor aren't you? How can you be out like this?"

"I was bitten by The Crimson Moon, so I'm special." He said with a smirk.

Every time they spoke, it seems they got a question answered but another one managed to replace it. Sakura thought it would be better to just be quiet and stop asking questions that she'd most likely find out the answer to if she just waited. The rain pattered down on them, making the world give off a fresh spring scent.

"You said Altrouge was born from a True Ancestor right? Do you mean like Arcueid?" Rin asked curiously.

Merem nodded. "Yes, in fact you could say that Altrouge Brunestud is Arcueid's half-sister. Now if you have more questions I suggest you ask them on the run. Where was the Beast spotted at?" He said and turned to Ciel.

"The colleseum." Ciel answered and they kept running down the rain soaked streets. Like earlier the streets were mostly empty as it was raining, save for a few cars driving around. Even the street lamps had turned on. Ciel estimated it should be almost sundown. The group ran through the streets, only Sakura seemed to be worried about stepping in the large puddles of water as she avoided them but everyone else just ran through them without a care.

They could see the Colosseum in the distance, the old looking building with some of the side missing. Not since the days of the Roman empire has there been a battle fought there. The group ran towards it, and the closer they got they heard the sounds of metal clanging.

"Do you hear that? Something is going on there, hurry!" As Merem urged them forward a few Shisha came sauntering out of the alleyways. One of them grabbed at Rin's neck but she grabbed its arm and flipped it over her shoulder, she pointed her finger at the zombie's head and fired a point blank Gandr Shot which caved in the creature's skull and killed it. Rin's Gandr Shots were special, normally they were just a curse but Rin's were so strong that they could hurt something physically and actually had physical form.

Rider aimed a roundhouse at a Shisha that went after Sakura and knocked it's head off. Meanwhile Sakura cut a few of them in half by using her Shadow Tentacles that came from a shadow at her feet. Merem was helping Rider defend Sakura and Rin by tripping any Shisha that came near one of them, he then jumped on top of them and crushed their heads with his palm. Soon all of the Shisha had been eliminated, the fight lasting no longer than a few seconds.

After the Shisha had been dispatched they continued on their way to the Colosseum. The large building was looming above them and Sakura couldn't help but look up at it. They went into the entrance and they had to weave their way through the hallways of the colleseum. They had to jump over some ropes that were in place to keep tourists from straying out of the path. The sound of clanging metal was getting louder as they neared the main floor of the ancient arena.

The group came out of the interior and reached the middle, what they saw surprised them. A man in white holding a longsword was dodging attacks from a large wolf like creature. The wolf's fur was pure white and it stood as tall as a man even on all fours, it was a monstrous beast with glowing red eyes and blood dripping from it's fangs. That was not the only battle going on, a girl with a white one piece dress with black lace lining the edges was fighting an older woman. The young girl looked only about as old as Merem and she had long blonde hair, while the older woman had short blonde hair.

A third person jumped into the fray, an armored woman carrying an invisible weapon was helping the older woman in a purple dress fight the small girl.

"It's them!" Sakura shouted. She was so relieved to see that Shirou, Saber, and Acrueid were alright.

"I'm coming Shirou." Ciel muttered and drew out six Black Keys which she held between her fingers. The rain pattered down, soaking everything under it and even a clap of thunder could be heard overhead. Ciel began to run into battle to assist her friend.

"Senpai!" Sakura was next to run out followed closely by Rider and Rin. That beast was huge, the only thing going through her mind was Shirou being hurt by it. She wanted to do everything in her power to prevent that, she couldn't bare seeing him hurt anymore. She was so happy that he'd returned she just wanted to run out and greet him, however that would have to wait until the threat was gone.

Shirou swung his sword with both hands at the beast but it deftly caught it between it's teeth and snarled at him. "Senpai!" He heard somebody call him that, only one person he knew called him Senpai. As he struggled to get the sword out of the wolf's mouth he looked up to see Sakura running towards him tailed by Rider and Rin. "Sakura?" He was a bit surprised to see them in a place like this, and that surprise gave the White Beast enough time to snap the blade in half and tackle Shirou to the ground.

Shirou raised his arms and grabbed the beast's jaws as they went for his throat, if those things got around him he was done for. With all his might he rolled his body and slammed the beast's head into the ground. One of Rider's nails pierced the side of the beast and she grabbed onto the chain it was attached to and flung the creature off of Shirou.

Meanwhile Ciel had joined the fight with Arcueid and Saber. "Hmph, it seems you've caught me at a disadvantage my dear sister." The little girl said and her eyes glowed furiously, there was one thing emanating from her and that was bloodlust, pure bloodlust. Saber then charged the small girl and swung her sword at the girl's small body. The girl casually raised her arm and caught Saber's blade, the sword dug into her flesh and blood began to drip from it.

"That was foolish." Saber taunted her and poured prana into her arms, it released in a burst of energy giving her an extra boost of strength and her sword cut through the girl's hand. At least half of it was severed and it fell to the ground, the girl howled in pain and clutched at her hand.

As the girl screamed in pain the White Beast turned it's attention to Saber, turning away from Shirou completely. "Oh no you don't." Shirou said as he grabbed onto the Beast's tail and held it in place as it try to escape to it's master's side.

"Give it up Altrouge." Arcueid said as she stood with her hands on her hips, an almost annoyed expression on her face.

"Maybe next time." The little girl named Altrouge said and she drew runes in the air using the blood from her hand. The blood seemed to hover in the air and Altrouge muttered something in an ancient language and with a loud crack like lightning she disappeared into thin air just as one of Ciel's Black Keys was thrown at her.

Ciel clucked her tongue in annoyance. "That would have pierced her heart too." Her voice held disappointment.

With Altrouge's disappearance the White Beast frantically tried to escape from Shirou's grasp. It growled and snarled but Shirou still hung on, trying to pull it back. Rin approached it and froze the ground it was standing on with a jewel. Shirou let go of the beast's tail and it continued it's struggle to escape.

Ciel threw the rest of her Black Keys at the frozen beast, impaling it with five of them. Blood poured from the wounds as it howled in pain, it's fur then burst into flames and began to burn the creature. Arcueid stepped forward and walked towards the burning beast, her eyes began to glow a bright yellow color and she thrust her hand into the flames where the Beast's head was and severed it with her claws. The head fell to the ground with a loud thud and with it the White Beast faded away.

"Senpai!" Seemingly out of nowhere Sakura launched herself at Shirou and tackled him to the ground, the grass making a squishing noise as they landed in it.

"Sakura, it's good to see you too but would you mind maybe getting off? The ground is awful wet." Shirou said with a smile as he looked up into her violet eyes.

"Sorry Senpai." Sakura said and reluctantly raised her body off of Shirou's.

Shirou stood up and dusted himself off, "It's good to see the four of you again. Sorry I took so long." Shirou greeted them with a smile. Shirou for the most part was uninjured from his battle with with the White Beast, save for a few cuts and scratches all over his body which were bleeding slightly.

"I heard about Venice, that was nice work Shirou." Ciel walked forward, a smile appeared on her face.

"You have my sincerest apologies for that, Altrouge gave me some strange concoction in my sleep causing the King of Earth to materialize out of my control." Merem said.

"So that's what it was. I take it you're Merem Solomon then?" Saber answered as she sheathed her sword and dematerialized her armor. Saber's armor was made from her prana, so she could put it on and take it off in the blink of an eye with little difficulty. It was the same with sheathing her sword or else she would be encumbered with all kinds of equipment.

"Yes." Merem answered simply.

"Can we talk someplace dry? I'm getting soaked." Rin asked, her hair was completely wet and she had a sour look on her face.

"Alright, let's all go back to the Agency then. I'm sure Narbareck will want to hear what happened." Ciel said and began to lead them back to the current headquarters of the Agency. As they walked out Arcueid took a look back at the scorched patch of grass where the White Beast was killed, blood still soaked the ground and she narrowed her eyes at the earth as if she was expecting something to happen.


	13. Enhance

ACT XIII - Enhance

"The Dark Six? I thought it was currently regenerating in England." Narbareck said as the group sat in a large room; it looked like a meeting room as there were numerous chairs around a large table. They had walked through the rain and back to the current Agency headquarters. Narbareck was very surprised to hear that they had very nearly killed Altrouge, and Merem told them of her plan.

"It is, but through a ritual with many of the Ancestors participating it is possible to summon it prematurely." Merem explained as the white rat wandered around the table to get a look at everyone. Merem looked odd being at the table with everyone and since he was so short his head barely came up over the table.

"We should focus our forces to eliminate the remaining Ancestors before Altrouge can get to them." Ciel suggested, she was sitting upright in her chair with her hands in her lap. She was positioned between Merem and Acrueid.

"That is unwise I think. If we divert all of our strongest forces to eliminate the Ancestors that will leave us open if they manage to slip through. We should split the strongest between searching and defense." Saber said as she sat between Shirou who sat next to Rin, and Sakura who sat next to Rider. Merem's rat pattered across the table to Sakura and looked up at her with its red eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before she reached her hand out and started to scratch its head with her index finger.

"I am in agreement with Miss Saber." Merem nodded towards Saber. "The Dead Apostle Ancestors have survived this long by being slippery. If we focus all our efforts on finding them they'll most likely slip between our fingers and come for us directly." He looked across the table at Narbareck.

"Arcueid, do you have an opinion here?" Narbareck turned her head and asked. Altrouge was Arcueid's sister, if there was anyone who would understand what actions to take it had to be Arcueid.

"Altrouge has premonitions when a Dead Apostle Ancestor is targeted for termination and always seems to warn them, she's a slippery one. I think our best bet would be a coordinated assault on the remaining Ancestors." Arcueid closed her eyes and crossed her arms in thought. "After all, it would be difficult to warn multiple targets right?"

Merem seemed to think deeply on Arcueid's answer. The white rat across the table grabbed the gem it carried around in its mouth and started to walk up Sakura's arm. Rider turned her head and watched with interest as the rat nestled itself against Sakura's neck and began to nibble on the red jewel. Sakura giggled quietly which made a faint smile appear across Rider's lips who then reached out to scratch between the rat's ears with her index finger.

Narbareck nodded as if she came to a decision. "Okay. Ciel, I want you to go to England and see what you can find out about The Dark Six. I want to know what we're dealing with here." Narbareck reached into the bag she'd brought to the meeting and tossed a hands free phone at Ciel. "These are going to be new standard equipment, use them to report back to me every six hours."

Ciel caught it and shoved it insider her pocket. "Understood."

"Arcueid, take Emiya and Saber with you and go to Misaki. If things get bad we may need Shiki's help, in addition I hear there's a Dead Apostle Ancestor near the area by the name of Enhance. He's an odd one on a mission to eliminate the remaining Dead Apostle Ancestors, we should see if he'll help us out." Narbareck tossed a headset phone to each of them as well.

"That sounds boring, but alright." She said with a sigh as if she was hoping for something more exciting to do.

"Merem, I need you to search the villages and towns surrounding Rome and clean house. After what happened in Terni we need to keep an eye open for the strays that escaped from the holding cells." Narbareck continued to delegate to the group, sending them to strategic positions to gather more forces and intelligence.

"As you wish." Merem said reaching his arm upward to catch the phone that was thrown at him.

"What about us? Don't we get to help?" Rin spoke up, this all seemed rather interesting to her and she would probably be of great help wherever she was sent.

"Yes, you three will stay here to assist with things here or if need be assist Merem." Narbareck stated as she slid three phones across the table.

Sakura pursed her lips. "I want to go with Senpai." She said in a frustrated tone.

"I apologize Sakura, but I can't let you do that when he's going to such a dangerous place. Besides, someone has to stay back and defend us." Narbareck explained apologetically.

Sakura sighed but nodded reluctantly, reaching out to take the phone in front of her.

Narbareck ushered everyone out the door. Outside Sakura approached Shirou. "Please be careful Senpai." Her purple eyes stared back into his.

Shirou raised his arm and placed it on her shoulder. "Don't worry Sakura, I'll be fine. I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Merem turned his back on the group and began to walk in the direction of the exit. "I'm leaving, come here. You've been spoiled enough for one day I think." He said looking at Sakura. The rat on her shoulder squeaked, climbed down the front of Sakura's shirt, making her blush as its tiny claws tickled her chest. It then jumped off her chest and landed rather elegantly on the top of Merem's head.

"We should head out too." Shirou said as he turned to Saber and Arcueid. Arcueid had a rather bored look on her face, like she was ready to leave.

The three of them turned to leave and Rin grabbed Shirou by the shoulder. "Where do you think you're going without saying goodbye to me?" She said with a pouting tone in her voice.

Shirou chuckled, "Did you miss me that much Rin?" He teased, knowing she'd either get angry or make some cute face.

Rin put her hands on her hips and flung her hair around her shoulders dramatically. "Of course, I can't have you die on me without telling me goodbye first. Because if you do I'll never let you rest in peace." She puffed out her cheeks angrily.

Shirou faked a worried expression. "Alright, alright. I wouldn't want you feeding my bones to some dogs or something." He joked. His face returned to a serious expression, "Goodbye Rin. I'll see you soon." He said with a faint smile.

"You'd better Shirou." She smiled back at him.

"Ciel?" Shirou approached her who had been talking with Narbareck about something.

"Hm?" She turned to him and said, her dark blue eyes shining in the faint light of the tunnels.

"It was good to see you again, even if it was only for a short time." Shirou said and made a slight blush brush across her cheeks.

"It was good to see you are alright as well Shirou-kun. Please be careful out there, I'm sure we'll see each other again before long." She said with a faint smile.

"You too Ciel." Shirou then turned to Rider and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, Shirou." She said as if she wasn't expecting him to talk to her. Her amethyst colored eyes were hidden behind her glasses, and her long hair hung almost to the ground.

"Take care of them alright?" Shirou asked.

Rider smiled a sight which Shirou hadn't witnessed for quite a long time. "Of course, please try not to get yourself hurt." She said with a smile and then waved him off as he turned towards Arcueid and Saber who began to walk in the direction of the exit. The white shroud around Shirou's waist swayed as he walked in between Saber and Arcueid.

Arcueid, Saber, and Shirou got on the first plane to Misaki they could find. For Shirou it felt odd going to Japan but not going home however on the other hand, it wouldn't really be home to him with Sakura, Rider, and Rin there waiting for him. He had become quite used to riding planes lately; he looked to his left and smiled. Both Saber and Arcueid were sleeping soundly and leaning against each other. Shirou had guessed this was unintentional. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had witnessed Arcueid sleeping. It would be a long flight, so Shirou thought he may as well get some sleep as well. In fact he was feeling quite tired, he leaned back and closed his eyes soon finding himself drifting off to sleep.

"Shirou." Saber's voice called his name, but he felt so comfortable at that moment he didn't answer her. His head was lying against something soft, and he could feel fingers stroking his hair. "Shirou, we're landing." She called him again and Shirou opened his eyes to find that Saber had been cradling his head against her chest and stroking his hair. Shirou lifted his head and stretched his arms, it seems the longer he'd been on this journey, the less he and Saber began to care about showing their intimacy towards each other. She'd never done anything like that before, but Shirou was actually starting to get very comfortable with her.

It was just after sunset when they landed, the exited the plane and Arcueid led them out of the airport. "You're familiar with this city aren't you?" Shirou asked her, it was foreign to him however it was very industrious much like Miyama but much less clean. It almost felt congested to him.

"Of course, I have an apartment here you know." Arcueid said as she skipped slowly ahead of Shirou and Saber. She looked almost too happy, or maybe she was just bored and skipping was entertaining her. Arcueid put her fingers in her mouth to whistle loudly, a taxi stopped for them and the three of them got inside.

"Tohno Mansion please." Arcueid grinned widely at the taxi driver who tipped his hat to her, smiled and then began to drive. The ride through the city was just what one would expect from such a place. Buildings towering overhead with streets leading to houses every so often. They passed an entertainment district with game centers and movie theaters and soon they reached a hill that led to more houses.

"Thanks, this is good enough." Arcueid said and paid the taxi driver. The three of them exited the taxi and Shirou was glad to be walking once again. After that long plane ride he was glad he would be able to stretch his legs a bit.

"Let me guess. House at the top of the hill?" Shirou asked sarcastically as he knew that was exactly the case.

Arcueid looked at him wide-eyed as if she thought he was psychic or something. "How did you know?" She asked with a surprised expression.

"Call it an educated guess." He kept walked up the hill, taking a look at the houses as he passed them. They seemed to be western-style much like the houses in the Shinto district of Fuyuki.

The moon was just starting to peek over the buildings as they neared the iron gate of the Tohno Mansion. It didn't look much different from their vacation spot in Venice actually. Shirou guessed that was the way they designed it. They approached the gate to find that it was locked, now that Shirou thought about it the three of them could probably just jump clear over it if they wanted to even though it was at least ten feet high. However he didn't think that would make much of an impression on the Tohnos themselves. Luckily there was a call-box just as there was on the Venice house.

Shirou took the initiative and pressed the button on the box. After a few moments Shirou expected to hear Hisui's voice but instead was met with a male voice. "Tohno house, how can I help you?" He answered, the button was left on and someone complaining in the background could be heard.

"Shiki-sama, allow me to do that for you." The female voice Shirou recognized as Hisui's said.

"No it's alright I've got it, I was walking by anyway." Shiki replied. "Ah damn, did I leave the button pressed?" He said after Hisui no doubt conceded.

"Yeah, you did Shiki." Shirou confirmed through the call-box for him.

"Shirou, is that you?" Shiki asked.

"Yeah, Arcueid and Saber are here too." At that moment Arcueid leaned over Shirou's shoulder to greet Shiki through the box. "Hi Shiki!" She said excitedly.

"Give me a minute, I'll let you three in." With that last word the box clicked off.

After about a half a minute it wasn't Shiki who came outside to greet them but Hisui, who had no doubt convinced Shiki to let her do it. She seemed to be excited to see them even though her cold face didn't show it. She walked at a fast pace towards the door and quickly unlocked it for them. "Good evening, please follow me inside." She said with a bow and began to lead them through the grounds to the front door.

"Thank you Hisui, it's good to see you again." Shirou offered her a smile. Despite her cold demeanor, Shirou would go as far to say that he liked Hisui. She reminded him so much of Saber when they first met it was almost scary, so it was easy for him. It didn't appear so at first glance, but Hisui seemed to like him as well as she was never hesitant to do anything for him.

"It is good to see you again also Shirou-san." She said, calling Shirou like he'd asked her to. Or at least the way that Shirou tolerated.

Hisui led them through the front door and as Shirou expected the house was a carbon copy of the Tohno's house in Venice. "Yo." Shiki waved at the three of them as he walked up to greet them.

"Shiki!" Arcueid exclaimed and playfully tackled him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Whoa now." He laughed and caught her, barely managing to avoid falling backwards.

"Nii-san, what is all the noise about?" Akiha came from the sitting room with Kohaku following her. A smile crossed her face when she saw Shirou, Arcueid, and Saber. "Oh, hello Shirou, Arcueid, Saber." She greeted the three of them and then walked closer to the group they had been standing it. Kohaku smiled when she saw Shirou and followed Akiha to the group.

"Hi Akiha-chan!" Arcueid greeted her with just as much enthusiasm as she greeted Shiki with, minus the tackling of course.

"Hello Akiha, it's good to see you again." Shirou greeted her with a smile.

"Good evening Shirou. I hope you're not too tired from your flight here. Shall we all go sit down?" Akiha suggested.

Kohaku and Hisui led them to the sitting room where they all sat down. "I'll go make some tea, so relax until then." Kohaku said before bustling off to the kitchen.

While they were all waiting for the tea Arcueid brought the Tohnos up to speed on what was going on. She told them about their fight with Altrouge and her hound Primate Murder. Arcueid was also concerned that Altrouge's other two bodyguards were nowhere to be found during the fight, which was odd because they normally never left her side.

"I see... that certainly doesn't sound good." Akiha said thoughtfully. Just then Kohaku and Hisui came back with the tea and poured everyone a cup.

"So that's the situation, we came to see if Shiki would help." Shirou said as he sat on a loveseat next to Saber. Saber was mostly silent through the conversation, most likely because she was still a little angry at Akiha for biting Shirou's chest and drinking his blood.

"Of course I'll help. Like I'm going to say no when it's this serious?" Shiki said as he sat on a three seat couch next to Arcueid and Akiha.

"In any case, you're certainly welcome to use the Japanese hut out back until you speak to this Enhance person." Akiha offered as she took a sip from her tea.

"Thanks Akiha, we appreciate it." Shirou thanked her and then finished off his tea.

"My pleasure, Shirou-san." Akiha replied with a faint smile.

Shirou looked up at the clock and it was ticking loudly. It was just after 8pm and it was dark outside. "Excuse us for leaving so soon Akiha, but we have some business." He said as he stood up, thinking that now was a good time to give Narbareck a call and ask her if she knew anything else about Enhance such has specific whereabouts.

Saber stood up to follow him, followed reluctantly by Arcueid. "I understand. I'll have Hisui leave the gate unlocked for you, please be careful on your way." Akiha watched them all stand up, it was unfortunate that they had to leave just as they'd arrived but there would be plenty of time to visit after this mess was taken care of.

"Wait a minute, I'm coming too." Shiki stood up as the three of them began to walk away.

"Nii-san... are you sure that's alright? What if you get hurt?" Akiha said with a worried expression.

Shirou, Arcueid, and Saber stopped to wait for him. It would be interesting to travel around with Shiki, lately Shirou seemed to be surrounded by nothing but women and to tell the truth it was weighing a bit on his nerves. It would be nice to have another man by his side for a change. He'd never really spent that much time with Shiki so this might give everyone an opportunity to know a little bit more about him.

Shiki waved his hand dismissively. "You worry too much Akiha, you've seen what these three can do in combat. The safest place is with them." He smiled reassuringly at his sister.

Akiha thought for a moment as if she was unconvinced at Shiki's answer. "Very well Nii-san. Please be careful." She said after a minute of thinking and Shiki left the house trailing behind Shirou and the girls.

Once they were outside Shirou pressed a several buttons on the phone Narbareck gave him, he accessed the memory and found that her number as well as the numbers of the other phones were in it. It seems that Narbareck wanted to make sure that everyone was connected and coordinated. He found Narbareck's number and pushed the call button, strapping the phone to his ear.

"You're late Emiya, is everything alright?" Narbareck seemed like she had been waiting for his call. Shirou guessed he was the last one to check in as she had already known he was calling.

"Sorry, fell asleep on the plane. Shiki agreed to help us and we're heading to see if we can find Enhance now, is there anything you can tell me about him?" Shirou asked. The night air as usual was cool and calm, tonight not even the wind blew and the crecent moon was hidden by the clouds bathing the world in darkness. Still, Shirou felt a sense of peace as he walked through the empty streets.

"He's a rather young Ancestor judging by the fact he still acts human. Or it could be he's just trying to desperately hold on to his humanity. But for some unknown reason he's on a mission to exterminate the other Ancestors. His right arm is still human, but his left arm is demonic. He wields a demonic sword in his right hand, which destroys it a little every time he uses it. In his left hand he uses a Holy Scripture in the shape of a large pistol which hurts his demonic arm." Narbareck explained. "Nobody knows why this is, because he could easily switch arms and neither one of them would be injured from using the weapons, but I guess he's just an idiot." She said as if thinking aloud.

Shirou pushed the button on the side of the phone for speaker so everyone could hear what she was saying. "Our current intelligence puts his current location somewhere in downtown Misaki. You'll know him when you see him, I guarantee it. Call me after you meet him." She told Shirou what she thought he needed to know and then promptly disconnected the line.

"Downtown huh? I wonder what he's doing there." Shiki wondered out loud. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked next to Arcueid.

"Eating most likely." Arcueid said, her long purple skirt swaying from side to side as she walked. She had a bored looking expression on her face, like she'd much rather be back at the Tohno mansion chatting with Akiha or teasing Shiki.

The thought of witnessing someone having their blood drained made the hairs on the back of Saber's neck stand on end. "Let's not think about such things for now." She said, if she saw Enhance feeding off of someone Saber most likely would kill him rather than keep him alive so they could recruit his help.

"So Shiki, how did you end up living with Akiha?" Shirou asked curiously, Shiki was adopted and he wondered if he knew his real parents or not.

"Akiha's old man adopted me because I had the same name as his biological son, who's no longer alive." Shiki answered simply, they turned a corner and followed the road that led downtown.

"What about your real family? Do you know anything about them?" Shirou asked.

"My real family was killed by Akiha's father and a man named Kouma Kishima. I do know that my real last name is Nanaya, and that they were a clan of powerful demon slayers. From birth they were taught how to kill, it's burned within our instincts and the instincts usually surface when one of us senses something that's not human. Thankfully I can control it now." Shiki explained. He took a small knife from his pocket and looked at the strange insignia on it, as if thinking about something.

"I see, I apologize if I brought up anything painful." Shirou said as he watched Shiki look at his knife.

Shiki looked up and smiled. "Don't worry about it. Hisui, Kohaku, and Akiha are my family. They always have been."

After a few more minutes of talking they reached downtown Misaki. The neon lights of game centers and movie theaters were all ablaze, making the central street glow with a strange multicolored light. Even in Fuyuki there was nothing like this and Shirou couldn't stop himself from looking around. Something in his gut told Shirou he should check one of the game centers.

"This way." Shirou told the rest of the group and began to walk towards a game center by the name of DMC. Shirou wondered if the three letters stood for anything, but soon the thought left his mind when he saw what was inside. The game center was completely empty save for one man.

The man had on a long red leather overcoat over a black leather shirt, even his black pants were leather and he wore a pair of black leather biker gloves with finger holes. His short, white hair hung straight down and looked like it stayed that way naturally. He wore a pair of black heavy duty looking work boots and on his back was a large sword.

"Hmph, he hasn't changed a bit." Arcueid mumbled as she followed Shirou into the game center. The man was just standing and casually playing one of the games as if completely oblivious to everything else.

As Shirou neared the man he looked like he was in his thirties and he had a 5 o'clock shadow, the sleeves of his overcoat were rolled up. "Are you Enhance?" Shirou asked him.

"That depends on who's askin'." He answered, the game beeping loudly as he manipulated the buttons and joystick on the game. "You're not from the Church are ya? No, scratch that. You don't seem like the type." He said. The game beeped loudly and the man kicked the machine almost making it tip over. "Dammit." He cursed and stood up straight to look at Shirou. He then looked over at Arcueid and his eyes narrowed at her.

"We're not here to destroy you if that's what you're talking about." Shirou answered but it didn't appear as if Enhance had heard him, he was staring straight at Arcueid with a burning fire in his eyes.

"You." Enhance said with a venom in his voice that would even kill a cobra. In the blink of an eye he reached behind his back with his left hand and pulled out a large pistol, pointed it at Arcueid and fired three rounds. Arcueid saw them coming and ducked behind a gaming machine and the bullets just whizzed by. Enhance jumped away from Shirou and ran for the back door of the game center when Arcueid dodged his bullets.

"Hey, wait a minute. We just want to talk to you!" Shirou ran after him while Shiki went to make sure Arcueid wasn't hurt. Saber ran after Shirou quickly catching up to them as Enhance kicked open the back door and ran through. Once outside Enhance jumped up the side of the building and jumped about halfway up, he kicked the brick wall and flew up the rest of the way grabbing the roof with his hands and doing a rather flashy flip upwards.

Shirou followed him and jumped straight up, grabbing the top of the building and pulling himself up. One up he was met with gunshots from Enhance's Holy Scripture who had turned around to fire as he was running along the rooftops. Shirou rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding them and began to run after Enhance. Meanwhile Saber who had just come out of the back door of the gaming facility used a prana burst to jump the entire length of the building and land gracefully on the roof to see Shirou chasing Enhance.

Shirou soon caught up with Enhance but just as Shirou was about to grab him he turned around and swung his demonic sword at him. Shirou jumped back and faced Enhance who had pointed the blade at him.

"You're fast aren't you? I'll tell you what, how about we make a deal?" Enhance said and rested the blade of his sword on his shoulder. "Let's have an old fashioned duel, man to man. If you win, I'll listen to whatever you have to say. Sounds kinda fun doesn't it?" Enhance said. A minute ago he had been running, now he was facing Shirou and making odd demands. He certainly was a strange man.

"If you're that confident, why did you run from the game center?" Shirou asked curiously.

Enhance held up two fingers. "Two reasons. One being that blonde friend of yours, the White Princess. I don't like her very much. The second reason being that if we were to get into a fight back there the games would have been completely wrecked, which would be bad because I like that place." He explained and then lowered his hand.

"Shirou!" Saber ran up behind him carrying her hidden sword. Shirou held out his hand and she stopped. "What's going on?" She had a confused look on her face when she saw Shirou and Enhance.

"Your friend and I are about to have a bit of a one on one fight. It would be cheating if you interfere." Enhance said with a smile.

"If I beat him, he'll listen to us so let me handle this alright Saber?" Shirou asked, lowering his hand. Saber nodded and backed up.

"Well then, shall we begin?" Enhance heaved the sword off his shoulder and held it in his right hand.

"Trace, on." Shirou muttered and projected a powerful Holy Sword by the name of Dainsleaf. Enhance watched with interest as the sword was projected. Shirou swung the longsword once to make sure the projection was up to par.

"Ha!" Enhance bent his knees and kicked the ground charging towards Shirou. Shirou took a defensive stance and prepared to block the blow that was coming, however right before Enhance was in range he jumped into the air and prepared to smash his sword on Shirou's head. Shirou jumped to the side and Enhance's demonic sword collided with the building's roof leaving a large crater in it. Bits of concrete flew into the air as Enhance's sword smashed into the roof.

Shirou started the follow up strike, aiming to give Enhance a shallow cut on his neck. Enhance easily swung his arm and blocked the blow. "If you're going to cut me, cut me. You'll never hit me if you just keep trying to wound me." He taunted Shirou as he stood up and swung his sword at Shirou's waist.

Shirou simply twisted his wrist and blocked the blow easily with a smirk on his face. "That's good advice; however I can't talk to you if you're dead. If I went all out, this would be too short." Enhance had awakened the competitor in Shirou, if he wanted to play a game then Shirou thought he may as well have a little fun. The last time he went all out in a one on one fight was when he fought Saber in his dojo back home.

Saber stood by and watched, soon Arcueid jumped onto the rooftop carrying Shiki. "What's going on?" Shiki asked as he saw Enhance and Shirou exchanging fierce blows.

"Shirou and Enhance are having a fight, however it looks to me as if both of them are just playing around." Saber said as she watched Shirou try to trip Enhance who just jumped over Shirou to strike at his back. Shirou ducked the blow and swung his sword upwards but Enhance jumped backwards to avoid it.

"Well, it does look like he's having fun." Arcueid said, her eyes finally held interest on what was going on before her as if this fight was the first entertaining thing she'd seen in awhile.

Shirou and Enhance clashed blades, both of them pushing and trying to overpower one another even though they both were only using one arm. Shirou noticed that Enhance's hand was starting to bleed from using the demonic sword, the flesh looked like it was just slowly dissolving away. "Your sword. What's it called?" Shirou asked. The demonic looking sword with a skull design in the center of the guard must have a name. Most powerful or legendary swords had names.

Enhance grinned. "Alastor." He answered. Enhance jumped back away from Shirou, now realizing that he was just being played with. "Now I think it's time to get serious." He said and threw his sword high into the air with a grunt. A clap of thunder seemed to come from right over their heads and Shirou looked up at the sword and then back down at Enhance.

"Right. Enough playing around." Shirou said as he watched Enhance pull his pistol back out and fire at him. Shirou ducked the bullets and Enhance raised his arm into the air. The demonic sword Alastor now had lightning crackling across the blade when Enhance caught it. He swung it once and it left a trail of burning air in its wake.

Shirou threw Dainsleaf aside where it shattered and faded away and projected Kanshou and Bakuya in its place. He began to magically reinforce the blades in his hands, changing their shape and structure. The blades grew in length, each becoming about three feet long. The blades now each resembled the wings of a bird, one black and one white.

"Now we're talkin'!" Enhance ran at Shirou, firing his pistol at Shirou's chest who spun the newly reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya to easily block the bullets. Shirou ran at Enhance and each of them swung their swords. Alastor collided with Kanshou and exploded in a flash of lightning, Enhance then managed to block Bakuya with his gun. Shirou kicked Enhance in the chest and sent him flying about ten feet backwards. He grunted in pain but landed on his feet and skidded to a halt.

Shirou ran towards Enhance who had just now stood up from being kicked. Blood was now dripping constantly from his hand, yet his face showed no pain whatsoever. Shirou neared Enhance who raised his gun and fired. Shirou practically saw the bullet leave the chamber and he simply raised Kanshou and sliced the bullet in half, he jumped into the air and spin kicked Enhance in the side of the head. Enhance was thrown to the ground, Shirou landed and kicked Enhance's weapons away, pointing Bakuya at his throat.

Enhance clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Damn, that was short wasn't it? You're pretty good." He smirked up at Shirou.

Shirou let the reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya fade away then extended his hand. Enhance took it and let Shirou help him up. Saber, Arcueid and Shiki ran towards Shirou to congratulate him.

"That was pretty amazing Shirou." Shiki said as he walked up next to Arcueid.

Enhance gathered up his weapons, slipping his gun behind his back and Alastor in the sheath on his back.

"You fought well Shirou." Saber said and went to stand next to him.

"Alright, a deal's a deal. I'll tolerate Miss Brunestud for a few minutes. What did you want to talk to me about?" Enhance asked. A slight breeze started to blow, ruffling Enhance's overcoat and the shroud around Shirou's waist.


	14. Nevermore

ACT XIV - Nevermore

On the rooftops of Misaki, Shirou thought about Enhance's answer as he watched him walk away.

"Sorry, can't do it. While technically we do have the same mission, I don't work well with other people." Enhance explained after Shirou explained the situation to him. "Besides, what does the Church need me for if they've got you." He said with a smirk before turning to walk away.

"That guy..." Shirou began. "He's pretty interesting." He watched Enhance walk to the edge of the rooftop and jump back to the ground. Shirou uttered a sigh and turned around to face the group behind him. "Might as well call Narbareck and tell her what happened."

In the office of the underground Burial Agency, Narbareck was filing a report when her phone rang. She strapped it to her ear and pushed the answer button. "What's the situation?" She asked immediately.

"Unfortunately Enhance won't help us. But at least we were able to convince Shiki." Emiya Shirou said over the phone. Narbareck had known Shirou for a couple of years now, having been there when he was recruited by Ciel and trained by her before running back to his hometown of Fuyuki City. He had proven himself capable in her eyes and so far has done everything that she's asked of him, it could even be said that she considered him a friend.

"I see. If Enhance is in that area but won't help us it must mean he's already on his own mission. There might be a Dead Apostle Ancestor in the area, I'd like you to investigate it and if possible eliminate the threat." Narbareck issued her next orders for Shirou.

"Will do. Keep an eye on those three girls for me will you?" Shirou asked, refering to the girls by the name of Rin, Sakura, and Rider that Ciel had brought in.

"Of course. Take care of yourself Emiya." She said before disconnecting the line. She was starting to become rather tired, not having slept in several days will almost make any person go insane. Somehow she managed to pull through, mostly thanks to extremely strong coffee. She let out a long sigh, ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back in her chair.

"Is Senpai alright?" Sakura asked. Her, Rider, and Rin had been sitting on Narbareck's office awaiting some kind of order or at least for something to do. Since the rest of the group left it had been rather boring for them.

"Of course he's fine. He's come a long way, he won't die on a simple recon mission. Even more so since Arcueid is with him." Narbareck said as if it should have been painfully obvious.

Sakura looked unconvinced at Narbareck's answer. There were always ways that Shirou could get into trouble, but she decided not to think about those at the present time. In the chair next to her Rin uttered a bored sigh and slumped down into her chair. She wished that there was something more exciting going on but since everybody had split into groups there wasn't much to do around Rome.

It was just then that Rin's phone conveniantly rang. She dug it out of her pocket and strapped it to her ear, pushing the answer key. "Hello?" She asked, knowing it could only be somebody from the team Narbareck set out.

"Rin-san? It's Merem Solomon. I have a situation here." Merem sounded a bit urgent, Rin guessed he was running after something.

"Yes, what's going on?"

"At the moment I'm Southeast of Rome clearing out some Shisha that have been devourering the nearby farmers, however it's not just one Apostle. There are several and I can't take care of this on my own in time to prevent more victims." Merem's footfalls could be heard through the speakers of the phone as he ran. "The Apostles are heading north towards Marino. How fast can you get there?" He asked.

Rin stood up to look at the large map on the wall of Narbareck's office. She found the area they'd been requested to go to and looked at Rider. "Rider, how fast can we get here?" She pointed to the town of Marino situated north of a lake.

Rider walked towards the map and thought for a moment. "My estimate would be around ten minutes."

"Is that acceptable Merem?" Rin asked.

"Yes, please make haste. I will meet you there after I've finished here." The line disconnected just then.

Rin's face looked pleased by the fact that something had conveniently turned up for them to do. "Sakura, are you ready?"

Sakura had been listening curiously and understood what was going on. "Yes. Let's hurry Nee-san." She stood up from her chair and prepared to leave. Before leaving Sakura turned to Narbareck, "Don't overwork yourself, Na-san." She said before leaving. After spending the evening speaking with her Sakura began to empathize with her position, Narbareck was passionate about her work and utterly devoted to her job.

Narbareck watched the three girls leave, uttering a chuckle at what Sakura called her. "Na-san, huh?" Her eyes brightened a bit and her lips cracked a small smile. "I can see why Emiya likes her so much." She said to herself and returned to her paperwork.

Outside the headquarters in the alleyway Rin and Sakura stood next to Rider. She knew she would have to be careful, if anybody were to see her Pegasus things may get a bit out of control. But then again some sacrifices must be made sometimes. In the dark alleyway a bright light could be seen as Rider summoned her large winged, white horse. Rider jumped on top followed by Sakura and lastly Rin. Sakura held tightly onto Rider's waist while Rin held tightly to hers. It was a bit of a tight fit on the beast, and they practically had to press themselves against each other to all fit on the Pegasus.

"Are the both of you ready?" Rider asked as she lovingly stroked the shining mane of the horse.

"Yes. Whenever you're ready Rider." Sakura said and tightly squeezed Rider around the waist.

"All set back here." Rin answered and held tightly to Sakura.

When the both of them answered Rider she urged the horse into the sky. A bright white light eveloped the Pegasus and the three girls riding on it and it flapped it's wings and began to streak across the sky. The wind whipped passed them as they flew, Rin and Sakura had no idea where they were due to the ground moving too fast. It was a good thing Rin had showed Rider where to go for fear of not being able to direct her properly because of the Pegasus's fast speed.

Soon the trio arrived in the port town of Marino. The town was situated on the edge of a large lake, Rider landed her Pegasus near the outskirts of the town so as not to attract too much attention. They walked into the small town to find it in utter chaos. The people were running about screaming for their lives as they were being chased after by Shisha. The town was full of them as well as a few minor vampires hopping about and pouncing on unsuspecting townspeople to drain their blood.

"Here we go." Rin only had a few jewels left and she wanted to save them for special occasions, however she did still have her trump card, The Gem Sword Zelretch. Unfortunately if she were to use it the innocent people could very likely get caught in the blast it created as well. Rider swiftly ran passed Rin and Sakura as they entered the chaotic streets behind her. Rider began by pulling the Shisha off an innocent woman and swiftly decapitating it with her nail-like weapons.

Rin delivered a swift roundhouse kick to a nearby Shisha as it attempted to charge her, once she had knocked it to the ground she caved in it's skull with a very powerful Gandr Shot, ending it's life. Sakura meanwhile had summoned wolf-like creatures from the shadows who helped her save some of the townspeople by biting through the legs of the Shisha, leaving her free to dispatch them with shadow tentacles coming from her feet.

The townspeople seemed just as afraid of the three of them as they had been of the Shisha, continuing to run to safety after being saved.

"Nee-san! Behind you!" Sakura shouted as one of the Shisha snuck up behind Rin while she was dealing with another. No sooner had Rin turned around that the creature lunged at her, grabbing for her throat. A nail came out of nowhere and impaled the demon through the head, which Rider easily pulled off using the chain attatched to her weapons. The Shisha disolved into dust and Rin thanked Rider with a nod.

Once all the innocents were out of harms way, Rin dug into her pocket to retrieve the Gem Sword. "Stand back you two." She said and Sakura pulled back her Shadow Beasts. The Gem Sword began to glow brightly as Rin used it's magic to pull forth prana from alternate demensions and gather it into the blade. Just as Rin was about to cut the air with it a man out of nowhere tackled her to the ground and kicked the weapon away. It was one of the Dead Apostles that had been praying on the town just like Merem said.

Two more jumped from the rooftop and faced them. Rin kicked the Apostle off of her and it retreated to stand with the others. "Well, isn't this lucky? Three beautiful women seemed to have wandered into our grasp." The Apostle in the middle said with a toothy smile. The man was not wearing a shirt, in fact the only clothing he seemed to have was a pair of black cotton pants.

Rin eyed the Gem Sword laying a few yards away, she knew going for it now would be suicide as she was sure that a vampire could run faster than she could. "It is lucky. These beauties aren't from around here." A second Apostle said. This one had a long, brown ponytail that hung down to the middle of his back. He was wearing a simple plain white t-shirt that had a few tears in it, along with a pair of simple jeans.

Sakura looked over at Rider and the two of them seemed to be exchanging looks. "Rider, release them." Sakura whispered.

The third Apostle began to approach Rider, "This one is strange though, I want to see what your eyes look like woman. Take off that blindfold." He addressed Rider with a command more than a request.

A hint of a smile crossed Rider's lips. "As you wish." She raised her hands and removed the violet leather eye covering that kept her eyes sealed.

"What the hell?" The three vampires exclaimed as soon as Rider's eye covering was removed. The three of them found that their movement was restricted. Rider's special Mystic Eyes were of the Jewel classification, meaning they are extremely powerful eyes belonging to beings from the Age of Gods. Rider's eyes were called Mystic Eyes of Petrification. Instantly petrifying targets upon eye contact. However Rider cannot control her eyes and therefore has to keep them sealed either with her Noble Phantasm by the name of Breaker Gorgon, or by the special eyeglasses she recieved from Rin.

Rin took the opprotunity to run the three yards to the Gem Sword and pick it up. It once again began to glow and Rin made a horizontal slashing motion through the air, sending a large blade of light tearing through the three Apostles like a hot knife through butter. The three of them screamed in agony and they were completely decintigrated by the massive amount of prana.

Once the three vampires were taken care of, Rider put her blindfold back on. The town was utterly silent afterwards, not a sound could be heard from within the blood soaked streets. Sakura heard something overhead and raised her head to the sky to see a large manta ray like creature flying above them. "Oh my." Those were the only words she could think to speak at the time as the creature began to decend. Rin and Rider readied themselves for combat once again as the large creature landed only to be met with the tiny figure of Merem Solomon.

"It looks like you three took care of things here." He said and began to step off of the creature's back on which he'd been riding.

Upon seeing Merem both Rider and Rin backed down and put away their weapons. "Yeah, there were a few survivors who ran back that way." Rin pointed behind her.

"I see, good work. The large influx of vampires and Shisha have to mean something. I've never seen them on this scale before. It's as if they don't care wether or not they expose themselves publicly anymore." Merem said with frustration.

Just then Sakura's phone began to ring, she took it out of her pocket and looked at it. It was Narbareck probably calling wanting an update. Sakura put the phone to her ear and answered it. "Yes Na-san?" She answered.

Merem looked curiously at Rider and Rin, "Na-san?" he mouthed the question silently to which Rin shrugged her shoulders.

"Sakura, is everything alright?" Narbareck asked, her voice was worn out indicating she was most likely tired and had been working hard all day.

"Yes, everything has been taken care of." She answered.

"Good, I need all of you to come back right away though. A Dead Apostle Ancestor by the name of Gransurg Blackmore has attacked the city. It seems he's looking for something. We need the four of you back right away." She said with a tone of urgency in her voice.

Merem had apparently heard Narbareck's conversation with Sakura. He clucked his tongue in frustration. "Bastard, he planned this."

"We'll head back right away." Sakura said and hung up the phone, shoving it back into a pocket. "Rider." Sakura looked at Rider who nodded, already knowing what to do.

Back at the Burial Agency Headquarters Narbareck sat in her office waiting for an update on what was going on with Gransurg Blackmore. If there was an Ancestor in the city it usually meant something big was about to happen. Apparently, Blackmore had broken into a museum to steal an unknown artifact. If the Apostles resorted to this kind of thing it must be related to The Dark Six. Narbareck had sent Ciel to Aylesbury to investigate and do some recon, she hoped Ciel would report back soon as she needed all the information she could get at the moment.

Her phone rang at that moment and Narbareck checked the ID, it was Shirou calling with an update on his new orders. "Emiya, did you find anything?" She asked.

"No, I tracked Enhance through the forest near Misaki but I got there too late. Judging by all the blood in the area, Enhance did what he came here to do and then left." Shirou answered.

"I see. If that's the case I want you to track down Altrouge Brunestud and eliminate her." Narbareck had full confidence in Shirou. He had been a part of the reason why Primate Murder was dead, if he could do that then she was sure that he, Saber, Arcueid, and Shiki would be able to eliminate Altrouge and her remaining two bodyguards which are high-ranking Ancestors.

"Alright. I'll report back in a few hours." Shirou sounded tired, he hung up the phone right after that.

In the skies above Italy, Rider, Sakura, and Rin followed Merem's large demon back towards Rome. It was a short flight and once they landed they were met with utter silence. Merem had led them straight to the musem where Blackmore attacked. There were many Ravens in the area, just like when Rin, Sakura, and Rider accompanied Shirou to the caslte the Burial Agency was previously located. The birds lined the top of the buildings and powerlines looking down on the four of them.

"I'm sure he knows we're here already." Merem said as he dismounted the demon he'd been riding. He looked above him and all the Ravens seemed to turn their eyes towards him.

"Why aren't they attacking?" Sakura asked as she looked up at all of the jet black birds. Their eerie red eyes staring back at her.

"Maybe he wants to meet us." Rin thought outloud and the four of them began to walk up the old stone steps towards the front door of the museum. The stone lions guarding the place could barely be seen under the blanket of Ravens.

Merem pushed open the door and held the door open for Rider, Rin, and Sakura. The entryway was thick with the smell of blood and bodies littered the floor. Blood stained the floors and carpets of the entire inside and it was difficult to avoid stepping in it. There was an immense pressure coming from the building, an eerie feeling like a dark stormcloud hanging over the area. The group was mostly silent as they walked through the doors leading to the main part of the museum, everywhere they went they were met with the same sight. It appeared as if Blackmore had massacred everyone inside before going to his destination. It was difficult to tell where he was as there was no clear trail.

"Merem Solomon?" A voice echoed through the hallways. Merem realized which direction it was coming from and jerked his head to a hallway to the right. Rider, Rin, and Sakura followed behind him. "It's been awhile since I've seen you. How is it being a dog of the Church?"

Merem ignored his taunts and kept running, turning a corner and following where the voice was coming from. Their footsteps echoed through the hallways as they ran until they entered one of the exhibits. It was based off of an Ancient Egyptian theme, made to look like the inside of a tomb. Fake torches lined the walls giving the area a dim yellow glow, here there was just as much blood on the floor as any other part of the musem. It must have been rather busy today, perhaps they'd gotten a new artifact.

"Well if you're just going to ignore me then there's no use keeping you alive for my entertainment." Blackmore's voice echoed through the museum again. The group ran through the Egyptian exhibit and made it outside, they entered a very large room that looked like your cliche room in a musem where there's nothing but a glass case in the center most likely with something extremely valuable in it. Floating above it was Gransurg Blackmore, clad in his odd bird like outfit and holding something that looked like a key in his hand.

"So one of the Crimson Moon's loyal followers has resulted in common theivery now?" Merem looked up at Blackmore and taunted as the four of them entered the room.

"At least my loyalty is not misplaced." Blackmore narrowed his eyes through his mask at Merem. "Enough talk, my business here is concluded, so I'll kill you for your insults and then leave." He raised his arm and snapped his fingers. From off in the distance a loud flapping noise could be heard, indicating Blackmore had called in backup. He uttered a yell who charged at Merem.

Merem jumped backwards as Blackmore's claws raked the air where where he was just standing. From the shadows expanding around her feet, Sakura summoned five shadow tenticles that whipped at Blackmore who flew upward to dodge them. Rider threw one of her nails and aimed for Blackmore's mask, however he easily dodged to the side and the nail pierced the air and was pulled back to Rider's hand by her chain.

Rin threw a jewel from her pocket at Blackmore, who deftly caught it in his hand. He held it up in his hand and examined it. "Hmph, so you're from the family the great Zelretch taught his magecraft to." Blackmore threw the jewel to the wall where it exploded, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. He then charged at Rin, who bent her knees but Merem jumped high into the air and delivered a straight punch to Blackmore's stomach before he could reach Rin. Blackmore coughed and landed on the ground.

"Wings aflutter, black as night." It sounded as if Blackmore had started to cast a spell. Merem's eyes widened as if he knew what was about to happen.

"Kill him quickly!" Merem shouted urgently and charged the Ancestor.

Sakura summoned a pair of Shadow Wolves that began to run at him.

"Let mine enimies be full of fright." Blackmore continued his chanting and the room seemed to get darker. "Strike like thunder, rend asunder, a thousand wings I call forth tonight." The flapping got louder, and soon ravens began to pour into the room from every direction.

Rin tossed a jewel into the air and hit one of the passing ravens where it exploded violently taking several more ravens with it. However it did no good as more of the ugly looking birds replaced it. Sakura's beats approached Blackmore but he dispatched them with a swish of his claws.

"Talons shred, the night turns red. Now thou shalt be filled with dread." Blackmore continued. The room seemed to be vibrating with energy, much like when Shirou used his Reality Marble.

Sakura created several more Shadow Beasts to charge Blackmore. She then began to concentrate her energy into her cursed arm, the shadow arround it unraveled and turned into a small jellyfish-looking objected. Sakura extended her arm towards the Dead Apostle and the curse lifted from her arm and sped towards Blackmore.

Blackmore had been dealing with Merem who had jumped into the air to aim a kick at him, so he did not notice the curse that attatched itself to his chest. The many ravens overhead were swooping down, leaving Rin to deal with them as best she could. Even Sakura had been trying to swallow as many as she could with her shadows. The room was filled with their screeching and hearing it constantly was almost enough to drive one insane.

"What the?" Blackmore looked down at his chest and tried with no avail to pull off the curse with his hands. It was stuck to him and had dug its tentacles into his flesh.

Rin had dug the Gem Sword out of her pocket, the dimly lit room began to glow brightly as the sword channeled energy from the infinite other demensions and gathered in the gem. She began to swing it, large swaths of light burning through the birds that were swarming around the group, giving them many cuts and scratches.

Rider, who had been helping Merem deal with Blackmore himself had backed away once she saw that Sakura's curse was on his chest. Blackmore pulled on it frantically as the thing dug further into his flesh, a scream passed between his lips and the blob of cursed material on his chest exploded violently sending him flying into the wall. A large hole was in his chest which was unleashing a torrent of blood.

Merem turned around and glanced at Sakura. "Nice job." he smiled and walked towards Blackmore's unmoving body. The hole in his chest had already begun to heal. Merem knowing it wasn't over yet prepared to crush Blackmore's head. He raised his hand and thrust it towards the unmoving Ancestor. At that very instant Gransurg's arm shot forward and grasped Merem's wrist.

"Another time Solomon." He said weakly and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving behind only a gust of wind and a few blood soaked feathers.

Merem clucked his tongue in frustration after witnessing Gransurg escape with his stolen artifact.

As the battle concluded Rin walked towards the case in the middle of the room to examine what the thing was that Gransurg had stolen. "Alyesbury Key" was written in fancy lettering on a bronze plaque.

Merem walked forward and examined it as well, having to stand on his toes to see the plaque. "As I thought." He said with a worried tone in his voice. He turned to the girls, "We have to report back right away. Narbareck needs to know about this."


	15. London Calling

ACT XV - London Calling

"Wait a minute. You want us to do what?" Shirou who had been happily having tea with the Tohnos was suddenly interrupted by Narbareck's phonecall. A day had passed since his meeting with Enhance and he had been happily spending time with the Tohnos. They had begun to treat him and Saber as if they were practically family. No progress had been made with Hisui however, dispite Shirou's best efforts he was not able to make her show any kind of happy facial expression.

Shirou was almost reluctant to answer Narbareck's call, but something inside him drove him to anyway. It seemed like his true goal had become secondary before he knew it, in the beginning he just wanted to protect people. But as time went on it seemed like the only thing he wanted to do was live happily next to Saber and the Tohnos.

"I need the four of you in London right away." Narbareck started. "There's an odd Ancestor by the name of Van-Fem currently lurking there." Narbareck explained that the vampire was a powerful puppet master but has taken up the life of a human. She also explained that his lair was what is known as a "Demon Castle" A gigantic golem. "I've recieved information that Van-Fem might know a thing or two about The Dark Six. I want you to go there and pump him for information and then if possible eliminate him."

"So basically, what you're getting at is that you want me to draw him out by destroying the Demon Castle?" Shirou asked. He was curious as to how difficult something like that would be, something with a name sounding like that is bound to fight back.

"Hm, perceptive aren't you? Yes, that's right. Puppet Masters are not suited for fighting themselves so they usually hide in the shadows while their familiars do the work. To get him to come out of hiding you'll probably have to tick him off a bit." Narbareck said, by the tone of her voice he could tell a small smile had crossed her face.

"Well that sounds like it could be fun." Shirou said with a fake enthusiasm. Saber gave him an odd look over her shoulder. It appeared as if she had been listening to their conversation from the sitting room which Shirou left when the phone rang. "Oh yeah, how are the girls doing?"

"They're fine. I've been having them do a few things for me and Sakura in particular is finding her own place amongst the people here." Narbareck looked up from her desk and outside the window of her office, Sakura could be seen talking happily to a few of the guards with what looked like Merem's rat perched on the top of her head.

"Ah that's good to hear, Sakura was always popular so it's no surprise that she was able to fit in." Shirou began to reminice about their school days where Sakura was one of the more popular girls. He snapped himself back to reality, finally ready to accept his mission.

"Your tickets have already been ordered, you can pick them up at the Misaki Airport tomorrow morning. Report to me after you've arrived in London." Narbareck disconnected the line.

"Hm, direct as always." Shirou said as he took the phone from his ear.

"Shirou is everything alright?" Saber asked as he returned to the room with a sour look on his face.

"Yeah, the four of us have to leave in the morning." Shirou said as he sat down on the loveseat of the sitting room next to Saber.

"Is that so? What does Narbareck want us to do now?" Arcueid tilted her head and asked curiously.

"She wants us to go to London and meet with an Ancestor by the name of Van-Fem. Narbareck thinks that he has some information about The Dark Six." Shirou then began to explain what he was told about the Demon Castles that they would probably be facing.

"Hm, Ciel must be having some trouble in Aylesbury if they're asking us to do something like that." Arcueid leaned back into the sofa and crossed her arms as if thinking. "That was what Narbareck sent her to do after all." She looked worried. Ciel always completed the job set out for her, there shouldn't be any reason for Narbareck to give them her assignment. Perhaps she was worrying too much, Ciel was extremely capable, so capable that she could probably destroy a minor Dead Apostle Ancestor by herself.

"If that is true, then Ciel may be in danger." Saber spoke up. She didn't particularly know Ciel that well, but Shirou, Arcueid, and the Tohnos all seemed to have some kind of history with her. A friend of my friend is my friend. That is how she saw the situation, she needed no other reason to act.

Shirou dug the phone out of his pocket and found Ciel's number. "Let's find out if she's alright then." Convienently, Narbareck had inputed all of the numbers of the group in the phone's memory so it was a simple enough matter to call Ciel and ask her if she was fine. The phone rang, however Ciel didn't answer.

The room seemed to darken as Shirou shook his head and took the phone from his ear. "Maybe she's just busy?" He suggested while returning the phone to his pocket.

"I'm sure that's it. Ciel is the type of person who won't talk when she's concentrating." Shiki reassured them as he adjusted his glasses.

"I'll call again after we finish in London, if she doesn't answer then. Then I'll worry." Shirou said as he looked up at the moon out of the large window in the sitting room. It was being blocked by the clouds but even so it gave off a faint glow of light.

"It is getting rather late. I think we should all retire for the night since you all have a journey to make in the morning." Akiha, who had been listening intently next to Shiki for the entirety of the conversation finally spoke up. She was the only one of the group who didn't seem concerned about Ciel, perhaps they had bad blood between each other.

Shirou and Saber stood up and prepared to retire to the Japanese house in the backyard. "Then we'll be off. Tell Kohaku and Hisui goodnight for me will you?" He asked Akiha.

Akiha's lips curled into a soft smile, "Of course. Sleep well, both of you." She wished them both a goodnight and watched as they exited the room.

Shirou walked across the lawn with Saber and looked up at the moon. "Shirou? Are you alright? If something is wrong I would like you to tell me." Saber called to him.

Shirou had been feeling more sentimental recently. He was beginning to wonder if the fighting would ever end, if he would be able to live a happy life after all this was over. He thought the last Grail War would be the last, however it turned out not to be true. Maybe, just maybe this is what his father felt all those years ago. He missed the days where he could live normally and go to school, even if they were long gone.

"Shirou?"

"Hm?" Shirou looked at her and just realized what she'd asked him. He grabbed the door of the house and pulled it open, giving Saber a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, I'm fine." He ushered her inside first before following her. It had to be a moment of weakness. For Shirou, dwelling on the past it something he normally didn't do anymore. He learned long ago that one must live for today, not for yesterday. He threw his unneeded emotions aside as they would only obstruct him from his goals.

Shirou walked across the dark house and entered the bedroom, removing the armored pieces of his clothing. Once they were off he stretched his body and unhooked the shroud around his waist, neatly laying it over a chair. Saber was in another room, most likely in the bathroom washing her face and preparing for bed as well.

Just as Shirou layed down Saber opened the shouji and walked slowly into the room. She was wearing a satin white nightgown, the moonlight shining off the cloth as well as Saber herself. She had also let her hair down, and her golden hair flowed gracefully off of her shoulders and down her back.

Shirou's heart pounded in his chest when he saw her. He was in awe as if it was the moment when they'd first met, he could not take his eyes off of her. He rarely saw her like this, except sometimes at night. However this night seemed different as the garment she was wearing brought out her beauty like never before.

"Shirou... please do not stare like that. It's embarassing." She said and a blush could be seen flowing across her cheeks.

"I...um." Shirou said as if the breath had been stolen from his lungs. It appeared as if he needed a moment to compose himself so he took a breath and shook his head. "S-s-so... um... where did you get that?" He said as he looked up at the cieling to try to calm himself down.

"Akiha insisted that I borrow it." She said timidly as she sat on the bed next to Shirou.

"Akiha did?" Shirou looked at Saber with surprise. He had assumed that she was still angry at Akiha for losing control of her demonic impulses and sucking his blood.

"Yes, I had previously underestimated how terrible she felt after the incident. I no longer bare her any ill will." Saber explained. She thought back on the conversation she had with Akiha, who had insisted she wear the nightgown because Saber did not have any proper nightware and also insisting that Shirou would like it.

Shirou smiled. "I'm glad you two made up." He said as he laid back on the bed with his arms behind his head. He had returned to normal after talking with Saber a little and now her outfit didn't effect him like that anymore.

Saber took her usual place at Shirou's side after turning off the light. It seemed that any time she showed any affection towards Shirou was at night when they were about to sleep. Shirou looked forward to nighttime for this very reason, it was the only time Saber really showed her true feelings for him (not counting the times she got jealous when another girl showed intrest in him).

Shirou wrapped his arms around Saber, running his fingers along her back and feeling the cloth clinging to her skin. He felt Saber squirm slightly at the sensation but she didn't seem to mind it. After they had relaxed the two of them fell into a deep sleep that lasted through the night.

Saber awoke first the next morning. She gently rose her small body from Shirou's and yawned widely. She stretched her back and looked down at the still sleeping Shirou, his peaceful face causing her lips to curl into a smile. It wasn't often she got to see him in such a state. The more she thought about their relationship, the more they started to seem like a married couple. She began to think about what their wedding cerimony would be like, or what their children might look like.

Saber made herself blush and she shook her head, sending her golden hair flying in various directions. "Now is not the time." She said to herself. Perhaps when this is all over she would think more about everything, but for the time being she had to remain focused. For now she was still Shirou's sword.

After dressing herself Saber neatly folded the nightgown Akiha had lent her and placed it on a chair while she went to wake Shirou. She reached out her hand and began to stroke his hair, letting the surprisingly soft locks slide through her fingertips. Shirou stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning Saber. Thanks for waking me." He said tiredly after his vision came into focus. The sun was shining in through the window making the room glow with a bright white light that was almost blinding. However the outline of Saber's form glowed like an angel's in the sunlight; Shirou could have even sworn he saw something over her head but dismissed it as her trademark ahoge.

Saber smiled. "I am glad that you were able to sleep so well." She said happily and watched as Shirou swung his legs over the bed and slipped his armor on.

Once the both of them were ready they headed out of the house and across the lawn to the Tohno's mansion for breakfast. It seemed like recently they'd practically moved in with them and thankfully they didn't seem to mind. Hisui was preparing the table for breakfast as the two of them neared the back door, upon seeing them she unlocked the door and opened it for them.

"Morning Hisui." Shirou greeted her as he walked through the door in front of Saber. The smell of bacon cooking indicated Kohaku had started cooking without him.

"Good morning Hisui." Saber greeted her next and then took a large sniff of the aromas coming from the kitchen.

"Good morning Shirou-san and Saber-sama." She bowed and greeted both of them, still using the honorifics with both of them. Saber didn't appear to mind, but perhaps that was just because she was used to being adressed like that.

Kohaku poked her head out of the kitchen, "Is he finally awake?" She said with a cheerful looking grin. "You certainly spoil him don't you Saber-sama." Kohaku seemed to be in a cheerful mood this morning, judging by her teasing Saber.

"That is not it at all Kohaku-san!" Saber replied with a red face.

Kohaku's amber eyes lit up. "So that must mean that you both slept in? What were you two doing last night?" She asked with an excited face.

"You have got the wrong idea Kohaku-san.!" She exclaimed with embarassment. "I awoke before Shirou this morning, and it took awhile before I could bring myself to wake him due to the fact that he looked so peaceful." Shirou was taken aback by what she just said. She had no problem with waking him up plenty of times before. Why was this morning so different?

Kohaku slinked forward and leaned in towards Shirou, who leaned back to avoid her touching him. "Is that so Shirou?" She said with a mischevious smile.

"Why are you asking me? I was asleep so I have no idea what Saber was doing before she woke me up." Shirou looked over her shoulder towards the kitchen. "More importantly Kohaku, shouldn't you been keeping an eye on something?" He said hoping to occupy her attention.

Kohaku stood up straight and nodded with a smirk on her face. "Yep, I'll go finish breakfast." Kohaku uttered a sigh. "I was looking forward to cooking with you before you left too." She said before bustling back to the kitchen.

"Nee-san must be in a good mood this morning..." Hisui mumbled. "If you'll excuse me, I have to see if Shiki-sama and Arcueid-sama are coming to breakfast." Hisui began to walk up the stairs leading to the west wing of the mansion.

"It's quite lively this morning isn't it Shirou?" Saber asked after Hisui had gone.

"Yeah, Kohaku is unusually playful. It kind of makes me wonder how Rin and the others are doing." Shirou walked to the table and pulled a couple of chairs out for himself and Saber. He had heard from Narbareck that Sakura was getting along very well with everyone, which wasn't surprising considering how popular she used to be in school.

Just then Akiha came down the stairs looking just as elegant as she normally does. "Good morning you two." She said with a faint smile.

"Good morning Akiha." Shirou and Saber both greeted her as she came to take her usual seat at the head of the table.

The morning went on without any hitches. Arcueid and Shiki came down for breakfast a few minutes after and soon Kohaku had put a large plate of bacon and flapjacks on the table. Shirou was glad the breakfast was simple, they were already running late and they would have to eat and run if they were going to pick up their tickets at the airport. They ate breakfast quickly and then afterwards thanked Akiha for her hospitality.

Everyone walked to the gate together after Akiha had taken the liberty of calling them a taxi. Akiha stood and fussed with the collar on Shiki's shirt while Arcuied stood pouting behind him because Akiha had scolded her for not noticing.

"Come on Akiha, don't do that." Shiki complained just as Akiha was finishing.

"Make sure you don't get hurt Nii-san." Akiha said as she flattened out his collar and backed away from him.

"Thanks again for taking care of us Hisui." Shirou said with a smile.

"It was my pleasure. Please do not do anything too dangerous Shirou-san." Hisui said with a bow.

"Hisui-chan is right. Make sure you stay alive long enough to cook with me again." Kohaku said with a wide smile.

The taxi Akiha called pulled up at the side of the gate and the group walked towards it. Shirou and Shiki went to opposite sides and opened up the doors for Saber and Arcueid.

"Shirou!" Akiha called after him after Shiki entered the car. "Take care of my Nii-san alright?"

Shirou waved at her. "Don't worry about a thing Akiha, Shiki is in good hands." He got back into the car and the driver turned around and drove down the hill towards the Misaki Airport.

"Akiha worries about you quite a bit doesn't she?" Shirou asked curiously. Akiha always had something to say when it came to her brother, did she not know that Shiki could handle himself? Shirou remembered that Shiki once mentioned he was anemic and prone to blacking out, that was probably the root of Akiha's worry.

"Yeah, almost to the point of being obsessive sometimes." Shiki chuckled. "I bet all the stress will get to her later in life." He had a picture in his head of what Akiha might look like as a nagging old woman.

"But you know it's because she loves you right Shiki?" Arcueid leaned over and spoke. "It's not that different from the way I love you." She said and pressed her lips to Shiki's cheek.

Shirou and Saber cast a short glance at each other. Saber smiled and slid closer to Shirou, leaning against his side.

"That's true, but you don't worry about me all the time. You're just annoying sometimes." Shiki said with a teasing grin.

"You're so mean Shiki." Arcueid pursed her lips in a pouting gesture.

Within a few minutes the taxi pulled up in front of the airport and the four of them exited the car and thanked the driver. They approached the front desk and got the tickets that Narbareck had left for them. Unfortunately their terminal was all the way across the large airport so they had to run to make it in time. Upon looking at their tickets they found that Arcueid had the seat next to Shirou but this was quickly solved by simply switching.

They boarded the plane and took their seats just as the final call had started. They sat slightly out of breath from the run as the plane took off.

"That was too close." Shirou said as the attendent came around and handed them all some water, which Shirou gulped down quickly.

"I apologize Shirou, I should have woken you up earlier." Saber grabbed one of the magazines and began to thumb through it. It looked like a catalog with a bunch of things that no normal person would ever need. For example, Shirou glanced over and happened to notice that they offered a pair of fuzzy slippers with headlights on them.

"It's alright Saber. We made it and that's all that counts." He smiled reasuringly and glanced over at Shiki and Arcueid. Arcueid had already fallen asleep and had leaned her head against Shiki who had his arm around her shoulders. The flight would be pretty long and they would have to change planes eventually so they may as well get comfortable.

After what felt like forever they finally entered London airspace. Shirou looked outside the window and saw the famous Clock Tower, the main building of the Magus Association as well as the Royal Palace. Saber, who was sleeping on Shirou shoulder stirred as the plane started to descend.

"Heh, I think I know what they were talking about this morning now. She's exactly the same." Shirou mumbled to himself as he lightly touched Saber's cheek. Saber opened her eyes and stretched cutely.

"Have we arrived Shirou?" She asked drowzily.

"Yeah, we've got a job to do now." Shirou said as Saber lifted herself up but kept close enough so Shirou could keep his arm around her.

He glanced over at Shiki who had fallen asleep along with Arcueid, their heads were leaning against each other and they really looked like a cute couple. The plane jerked as it landed and both of them woke up suddenly. Arcueid yawned widely and stretched rather like a cat would.

"Ah, so we're here." She said after looking out the window.


	16. Bringing Down the House Part 1

ACT XVI - Bringing Down The House (Part I)

The rain pattered down on the already drenched city of London, England. Luckily Shirou and Shiki had both bought large umbrellas to keep them as well as Saber and Arcueid dry as they walked along the sidewalk near the airport. Saber walked close to Shirou's side and held onto his arm after seeing Arcueid do the same to Shiki. Shirou had fallen silent as he thought about his plan of action. Unfortunately finding the Demon Castle nearby wouldn't be easy. He figured he was looking for an old castle, but the problem was they were in England, which meant old castles were everywhere.

"Do you know anything about his guy Arc?" Shiki turned to her, using the shortened name he often called her by.

Arcueid put a finger to her lips as she thought. "Van-Fem right?" She confirmed. "He's quite popular in the Human's Underground. He likes to gamble and hold parties, when he's not hiding out in one of his Demon Castles he's on his yacht." Arcueid explained. "He feeds mostly like Akiha, getting the majority of his blood from blood packets. However he does prey on women every once in awhile."

"What about the Demon Castles? Do you know where any of them might be?" Shirou turned to ask. Arcueid seemed extremely knowlegable when it came to information about the Dead Apostle Ancestors. Shirou wondered if she personally knew each of them.

Arcueid shook her head, "No. They move sometimes so it makes it hard to pinpoint them."

"They move?" Shirou's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yep, didn't Narbareck say they were giant golems?"

"Well yeah she did but I still didn't think they could move." Shirou scratched his head.

"Van-Fem is one of the best puppet-masters around. It's no surprise he's able to do something like that." Arcueid tilted her head.

"So how large are these golems?" Saber asked, she kept her pace next to Shirou under the umberella. Dispite the rain she was actually enjoying herself, no matter where she was she was starting to become easier to show her affection to Shirou these passed couple of days.

"At least as large as a Middle Age castle." Acueid answered. It had been such a long time she'd been to London she didn't recognize anything. She had to restrain herself from running off an exploring on her own, in fact the only thing keeping her there was Shiki. To her, Shiki was the type of person who got into trouble if left alone for too long.

Shiki laughed nervously. "As big as a castle huh?"

"It shouldn't be any problem for us. We've destroyed something almost as big before you know." Shirou recalled the fight with Merem's demon back in Venice.

"Shirou is correct. I have full confidence in our abilities." Saber agreed.

"We should split up. We'll cover more ground that way." Arcueid suggested with excited eyes. In reality, she just wanted to go play with Shiki and explore London so she needed to make an excuse to escape.

Shirou nodded, oblivous to Arcueid's true intent. "Alright then. Saber and I will rent a car and search the outskirts of the city." He picked up a travel brochure on a rack outside the office of a travel agency entitled "Castles of England". He pointed it at Arcueid in an effort to make what he was about to say sincere since he knew she was a spontaious person who often got sidetracked. "If anything happens call me."

"That goes for you too Shirou." Shiki adjusted his glasses and said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Come on let's go Shiki!" Arcueid grabbed his arm and ran off towing Shiki behind her.

"Shirou what is that?" Saber asked eyeing the brochure in Shirou's hand.

"Just a hunch." Shirou said as he opened up the small book, inside were many pictures of old castles around Britain. "Arcueid mentioned that the golems would be just as big as a castle right?" Shirou said looking confident. "What if it is a castle? It would be the perfect disguise for hiding something of that size right? I was thinking that Van-Fem disguised one of them as a castle from English history." He finished with a small smile.

"Very well, but there is one problem. Where are we going to find enough money to rent a car?" Saber questioned him, if they couldn't search the castles with a car then they might as well just call the whole thing off.

Shirou took the phone out of his pocket and hooked it to his ear. "I'm sure Narbareck will give us a hand." He said as he hit the button to call her.

()()()

"So Arcueid, where do you want to start looking for the Demon Castle?" Shiki asked. The rain had stopped and a small ray of sunshine began to poke through the clouds. Arcueid was skipping happily ahead of him like some schoolgirl who just got out for the summer

Arcueid turned around and began to walk backwards while looking at Shiki. "Who said we were doing that? Those two can handle it by themselves so I thought we could get away for a bit." She said with a wide grin.

Shiki chuckled. Arcueid often did things like this; in fact Shiki thought it was kind of cute. "Well, I suppose they did say they'd call us if they ran into trouble." He only realized what he said after he'd said it. He sighed to himself as Arcueid grabbed his hand and started to drag him along the street. "Is her personality rubbing off on me?" He thought before letting himself be led around by Arcueid.

()()()

"I am surprised." Saber had her hands on the wheel of a silver Toyota Avalon and her and Shirou were headed southeast to the coast town of Dover. They had already been on the road for almost an hour so they were nearing the town with the large castle overlooking the coast. "My country has changed so much... I can barely recognize anything." Her voice sounded almost sad.

"It's been a long time for you. It should be no surprise things would change right?" Shirou looked over at her from the passenger's seat.

Saber shook her head. "You are correct. Please forget that I mentioned it." She looked forward and focused her eyes on the road.

"I am surprised you can drive so well though. Is this the first time you've ever driven a car?" Shirou asked in an attempt to change the subject. Saber seemed somewhat upset by the changes in her homeland and Shirou wanted to get her mind off of the dreary subject.

"No, I have driven several times before now." She answered simply. "I do miss Irisviel's Mercedes though..." She said as if recalling a fond memory.

"Irisviel?" Shirou tilted his head in a confused manner. He'd never heard the name before and was curious as to what kind of relationship the two of them had. He figured they were close since Saber was allowed to drive this person's Mercedes.

Saber shook her head and drove into the city limits of Dover. "It's nothing." She said solemly. Driving the old car brought back old memories of one of her acquaintences of the 4th Holy Grail War. She shook them off after reminicing for a moment. "There is no point looking to the past anymore." She said to herself and remained focused on what was in front of her now; namely Shirou.

"Do you regret it?" Shirou asked. Saber's face looked sad, like something was bothering her. Whatever it was, she must not regret her past. That's because it made her the person she is today, as well as ther person he fell in love with.

"Shirou?" Saber asked in a confused tone as they drove through the town, finding their way by signposts to the coast.

"Do you regret those memories?" He asked again more clearly.

Saber offered him a smile and shook her head. "No, I don't think I could even if I tried." Of course there were happy and sat times. But even if she obtained the Holy Grail in the Fourth War she most likely would not have ever met Shirou. It was for that reason she had no regrets.

Shirou smiled as they neared the large hill the castle stood upon. "That's good to hear."

Saber drove up the street right in front of the castle and stopped the car. Both of them got out of the car and took a look around. The castle grounds were large and it didn't look like there were any staff around, usually there would be tours or something but there was no one around.

A bad feeling rose up in Saber's gut as she looked up at the ominous castle. "I believe your guess was correct Shirou." She said as she looked into one of the windows.

The turrets rose up high above the ground and there was a wall covered in moss and eaves surrounding the main building. It looked like it hadn't been renovated for quite some time and some of the windows were covered with dust. Driving through it seemed like a normal town, but once the two of them hit Castle Road the tourists and even the locals just disappeared.

Shirou got a feeling in his gut like he was being watched from one of the windows, the eerie quietness of the place made him a bit uneasy. He looked up at one of the second story windows just in time to see a shadowy figure and a small object glint in the sunlight.

"Shirou, watch out!" Saber warned. With lightning-like reflexes Shirou quickly projected Kanshou and smacked the object away like it was nothing.

"It's alright Saber. It's going to take a lot more than that to surprise me." Shirou smiled at her and walked over to inspect what was thrown at him.

Saber kept a lookout while Shirou walked towards a tree to Shirou's right. Imbedded in it was a sharp piece of metal which was easily recognizable. "Shuriken?" Shirou pulled the ninja weapon out of the tree and examined it closer. The Shuriken was definately not for decoration and had been sharpened for combat use, whoever threw it at him either intended it as a warning or tried to catch him offguard.

Shirou clucked his tongue and threw the shuriken to the ground. "These guys have no idea who they're dealing with." It seemed that the enemy didn't know who they were up against if they thought they could surprise him and Saber with something like that.

"Shirou? Is everything alright?" Saber asked, not taking her eyes off of the ancient English castle before her.

"Yeah, just watch your back. In fact, I'm going to call Shiki and Arcueid to see if they can come give us a hand. If there are people trained in stealth here, I want to be prepared." Shirou said as he dug the phone out and hooked it to his ear.

"Very well, I shall have your back as well." Saber said with a smile.

()()()

"Come on Shiki! Let's go here next!" Arcueid pulled him out of a clothing store and pointed towards a store a little ways down the street. For the passed hour and a half she had been dragging Shiki around London.

Just as Arcueid started to pull him to the next shop he heard the phone ringing it his pocket and saw that it was Shirou calling. "Hang on a second Arc, it's Shirou." He dug the phone out of his pocket and hooked it to his ear. Arcueid stopped and stood impatiently while Shirou told Shiki what the situation was. "Hold on, we'll be there as soon as we can."

"What did Shirou want?" Arcueid asked as Shiki shoved the headset back into his pocket.

"They found the Demon Castle, they need us to head southeast to Dover and help them out."

Arcueid pursed her lips and pouted. "What? Already? Jeeze, that Shirou must be too smart for his own good." She sighed. "And I was hoping we could play a little more too."

Shiki shrugged. "It can't be helped now, let's go give them a hand."

"They can handle themselves right?" Arcueid asked hopefully.

"Arc. Come on let's find some transportation." Shiki said. Arcueid usually needed a push to get back on track after getting distracted.

()()()

About an hour later Shirou and Saber saw a car pull up to the grounds of the castle. It was so old that Shirou couldn't even tell what make and model it was, in fact it looked like it was held together with duct tape. The car rattled as it pulled up and the side windows rolled down. Out of the windows two pairs of feet popped out which were attatched to Shiki and Arcueid.

The weight of the two of them on the windows was apparently too much for the old clunker. The wheels dropped off and the frame fell to the ground. Shiki and Arcuied managed to get away from the car just in time and looked nervously at each other.

"There goes the deposit..." Shiki said sarcastically.

"Where did you manage to find something like that?" Shirou asked Shiki as he and Saber approached the two of them. The car completely fell apart right before his eyes.

Shiki scratched his head. "Well it was all we could find on such short notice."

Arcueid had a grumpy look on her face but Shirou couldn't tell what she could be angry about. Perhaps her and Shiki had some kind of an argument. "So this is it huh? Clever." She said after taking a look up at the old castle.

"Um, excuse me." A nervous sounding voice came from behind them. Shirou turned around to find a girl in a uniform behind them. Maybe she was a tour guide or something? No, that couldn't be right at this time of day there should be a crowd of people around her. Her eyes were fixated on Shirou, it was only natural considering his clothes. Saber had not materialized her armor yet and Shiki and Arcueid usually wore plain clothing.

"Um, my name is Linda. The castle is closed today, but if you'd like I can give you all a private tour." The girl spoke, her hands held nervously behind her back.

Shirou raised his eyebrows. A private tour when the place was closed was a bit odd, but it being closed would explain why there was nobody around. Still he was suspicious of the girl after being attacked earlier, and having her hands behind her back made him even more nervous.

Behind Shirou, Shiki had removed his glasses and his right hand went into his pocket. His eyes began to glow blue as he activated the special abilities he possessed. Along the girl's body he saw lines and dots, if he severed those lines or stabbed the dots her existance would completely unravel. It didn't matter if it was an object or a person, if Shiki destroyed the lines on it, it's existance would be erased and it would fall apart. This was the special ability Shiki possessed known as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

"No thanks, I think we'll be able to manage on our own." Shirou turned her down.

With lightning speed Linda's arm shot out and grabbed onto Shirou's. She was releasing a killing intent, meaning Shirou's assumptions were correct. "I insist that you let me give you a tour." She said in an eerie sounding voice that was not her own.

Seemingly out of nowhere four more people in uniforms had jumped in front of them, most likely from on top of one of the outbuildings along the perimiter of the wall. A man came up behind Shirou with a knife, Shirou grabbed Linda's arm with the arm she was holding onto and swung around into the man with the knife who was then knocked to the ground. Shirou then broke Linda's arm at the elbow who screamed in pain and released Shirou's arm allowing him to project Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands.

With Linda and the other man knocked out cold on the ground reinforcments appeareed as about five more men came running up from behind them.

"Just destroy them. They aren't human." Arcueid suggested to Shirou as she turned around and grabbed two men by the back of the neck, slamming their heads together. A crunch was heard as their skulls were cracked and they fell limp to the ground after Arcueid had let go.

"She's right, they're just puppets." Shiki relayed to Shirou after Flash Dashing behind one of the men and cutting through one of his lines. He didn't even have time to scream before he fell dead to the ground as his body was cut in half.

Saber tripped a man who ran towards her with a golf club and plunged her sword through his heart, sending a gush of white liquid spraying upward as she pulled out the blade. The liquid was almost like lubrication used for machines and it was what these puppets were using for blood.

Shirou saw Saber kill the man, and decided to believe Arcueid and Shiki. "Good to know." He called back to them. At first the thought they may have been innocent people hypnotized by Van-Fem to guard his castle, but after learning they were in fact his puppets it meant that he no longer needed to hold back.

Linda and the man with the knife he knocked out previously got back up and rushed Shirou together. Shirou stood rooted to the spot and threw Kanshou and Bakuya in an arcing motion. They flew like boomerangs towards the two charging puppets, decapitating them simultaniously. The twin swords returned to Shirou for him to catch just as their bodies fell to the ground, spurting the white liquid from their necks.

The two remaining puppets were destroyed easily by Shiki who stabbed one man in the chest then immediately Flash Dashed to the second and cut the line from his shoulder to his waist. Both of them died and fell to the ground at about the same time due to the speed and precision of his strikes as well as the Flash Dash.

Arcueid let out a sigh. "You called us back here for that? You two could have easily handled it by yourselves." She said after walked towards Shirou and Saber.

"Shirou only wanted to be prepared. There is no telling when things can go wrong." Saber stood up for him.

"Let's look inside." Shirou still felt uneasy. The men that just ambushed them did not have any kind of weaponry like what was thrown at him earlier. Meaning that there were still puppets around, most likely lurking in the shadows inside the castle itself. He walked towards the large double doors that marked the entrance to the castle followed closely by Saber, Shiki (who had returned his glasses to his face), and a reluctant Arcueid.

Shirou pushed open the large double doors and walked inside the large entryway. About twenty feet above their heads hung a dimly lit chandalier, as one would expect the interior was made mostly of stone. In front of them there was a large staircase leading three ways, one to the north further into the castle interior, one to the southeast, and the other to the northwest. Behind the group the large doors creaked shut seemingly on their own.

"Shirou, I believe we should part into groups once more." Saber suggested as she surveyed the area. In addition to the three paths at the top of the stairs, there were hallways on each side of the bottom as well leading inward. One of them most likely led to the basement and it was roped off so tourists would not venture downward.

The hairs on the back of Shirou's neck stood on end, since entering the caslte he felt himself being watched. He looked behind the group and he could swear he saw shadows move on the walls and cieling.

"Arc and I will take the basement." Shiki volunteered and Arcueid's attitude seemed to brighten up a little.

Saber watched Shiki and Arcueid walk up to the rope where Shiki cut it and headed into the hallway. "Shirou, do you feel it too?" Apparently Saber had also had the feeling that they were being watched from the shadows.

"Yeah." Shirou answered as he headed up the stairs, he planned to start on the southeast passage and work his way in. "Whoever threw that Shuriken at me is still in here."

Saber nodded and followed him down the hallway. There were numerous closed doors leading most likely to rooms or armories. She watched as Shirou began to kick down doors and look in the rooms. "Aren't you being rather aggresive?" She noticed he wasn't even checking to see if the doors were locked or not, Shirou was just kicking them open.

Shirou chuckled and scratched his head. "Well supposaidly this thing moves right? I don't see any weakspots here so maybe if I make the golem angry enough it will reveal something." He didn't know if making an entire castle angry at him was a good idea, but he'd never had to destroy a building before so he couldn't come up with any kind of strategy until something interesting happened.

"Perhaps you are right. An angry enemy is a vulnerable enemy." Saber trusted Shirou's judgement on this. If need be she could also use Excalibur. Her Noble Phantasm was one of the finest and it might even destroy the castle, however she didn't want to use it unless the situation demanded it.

The two of them exited the hallway and stepped into what looked like a large dining hall. It had been remodled to hold several tables for tourists who wanted to spend a lot of money to eat there. The only thing that lit the large room were torches, and they were lit giving the room an ancient feel to it. However the lighting was bad also, and Shirou knew that shadows awaited them in the room.

As expected, the instant Shirou stepped into the room an arm swung down to cut his throat with the knife in the person's hand. Shirou jumped back just enough to avoid the blade, grabbed the arm with his left hand while projecting Bakuya in his right. He flung the man onto the ground and pounced, driving Bakyua through his heart. Thankfully it was another puppet due to the white liquid flowing from the wound.

The man laying on the ground was covered completely in black and had on a mask covering his face. Shirou examined him, noticing many weapons ranging from shuriken, kunai, and a kodachi hooked all over his body.

"It seems they have been trained in assassinations and the art of shadow." Saber stated as she walked over to look at the man Shirou was kneeling by.

"If it's shadows they excel in all we need to do is deprive them of it. I think it's time you release Invisible Air." The golden light from Saber's sword when unveiled will destroy any shadow in the room giving the assassins nowhere to hide.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Saber smiled and began to release the boundary on her sword. The wind peeled off like bandages until the room filled with bright golden light.

The assassins clinging to the walls and cielings weren't too thrilled on being discovered. As far as Shirou could tell there were at least five of them with their weapons drawn. They let out cries in unison and flung themselves from their hiding spots at Shirou and Saber, who both bent their knees to prepare for combat.

()()()

"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" Shiki asked as the two of them walked through the dimly lit basement. It was surprisingly large, in fact Shiki suspected that the basement might be as large as the first floor of the castle itself. It had many storage rooms and other passageways that wound their way around each other.

"We're looking for a way to kill it. Maybe there's a line or something you can see somewhere." Arcueid said as she walked ahead of Shiki. She could see extremely well in the dim light so she insisted that she take the lead.

Shiki took off his glasses and shoved them into his pocket. Normally everything was covered with lines, be it living or not. It seemed that Demon Castles were no different. On the wall in front of him were numerous lines. It wouldn't be the first time he's "killed" a building, however Shiki was rather reluctant to doing so with people in it.

Shiki dug the knife out of his pocket and looked at Arcueid. "Call Shirou and Saber and tell them to get out, this might get a bit messy." His eyes began to glow with an electric blue color.

()()()

"Thanks for the warning Arcueid." Shirou hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. The seven assassins that lay dead at his and Saber's feet gave him more trouble than expected. Two more joined the original five from an adjacent hallway after hearing the commotion, but in the end Shirou and Saber had come out uninjured.

"Shiki is destroying the castle, I think we should head back out." Just as Shirou finished his sentence the entire building started to shudder violently. Shirou looked up at the cieling and saw it was starting to crumble.

"Scratch that, run!" Shirou yelled and he sprinted off down the hallway with Saber closely behind him. A large chunk of the cieling fell down and Shirou had to jump to the side as it smashed through the floor, leaving a large hole as it fell into the floor below.

The two of them swiftly reached the entry hall were Shiki and Arcueid had just reached as well. The four of them bolted out of the door, blinded by the twilight sun after having been in the dimly lit castle. They turned around and sheilded their eyes as the castle continued to crumble.

"What's going on?" Shirou asked as he saw the castle slowly rise out of the ground on what looked like legs. Large chunks of dirt and rocks flew around as the castle stepped out of the whole in which it was dug. It began to rearange it's structure, the foundation moving or folding together until it took on a more humanoid shape.

"That is Van-Fem's pride. Demon Castle." Arcueid said as she looked up at the hulking collossus. It looked to be around 350 meters tall, it's arms were most likely 100 meters long and it's legs were around the same length. The arms and legs were made up of the hallways that the four of them had just been walking through.

"It's taking a bit longer to be erased than most things, This might get bad." Shiki said. Just because Shiki cut the lines on something doesn't neccesarily mean it will die right away. Shiki's ability allow him to unravel the existance of something, and in rare cases it takes a little longer for something's existance to unravel because there is more of it.

Saber raised her sword and glared up at the Demon Castle. Her insides were boiling for battle and no doubt she was sure that Shirou's were as well. That puppet was gigantic, the biggest enemy she has ever faced. However she was not afraid, her only fear was of her companions becoming injured.

The Demon Castle made a noise like a low roar looked down on the creatures who would dare injure it. It towered above them so high that it's shadow reached far into the town of Dover and blocked out the sun. It took a step towards the group as they readied themselves.


	17. Bringing Down the House Part 2

ACT XVII - Bringing Down the House (Part II)

Van-Fem's giant Demon Castle towered over Shirou, Saber, Shiki, and Arcueid. The giant stepped foward and stomped the ground, blowing apart the hill the castle used to be on and sending a shockwave towards the four of them that tore up the ground as it approached and sent earth and rock flying in every direction.

Shirou and Saber doged to the left while Shiki and Arcueid went right. The shockwave went right between them, splitting the ground apart where they had just been. The giant was slow, probably because it was falling apart from the inside out. Shirou was curious how long it would last after having it's lines cut by Shiki.

Now that the thing was dying thanks to Shiki all they needed to do was to survive until it's existance unraveled completely. Shirou took a look at the town behind them, he couldn't let it get near the town either. Though they were probably already in a panic anyway.

"Even if it is unraveling already, there's no harm in helping the process a little." Shirou turned and said to Saber as the giant was procupied with trying to crush Arcueid with one of it's arms. The earth shook as it impacted with the ground. Shirou watched as Arcueid jumped onto the castle's arm and started slashing at it with her claws.

Saber nodded at Shirou. Luckily for her, her sword was already released. She started to pour her prana into it and it began to glow with a blindingly bright light. "EXCALIBUR!" She called out the name of her holy sword and a large beam of light shot forth towards the giant. Arcueid saw the beam coming and jumped off the castle's arm and floated gently to the ground.

The beam collided with the demon and shot directly through what could be called it's chest. The giant made a deep roaring sound and staggered as pieces began to fall from it and litter the ground at it's feet. It turned it's attention to Saber and aimed to slam it's hand down on her, Saber jumped aside and slashed at it with her sword. A few pieces of debris fell off but it took no major damage otherwise.

Shiki meanwhile just focused on dodging the falling debris. He couldn't do much with his knife, and the creature had no lines he could see on the outside. Arcueid stuck close to Shiki to protect him from any falling pieces that Shiki couldn't see.

Shirou projected a bow in his hand after seeing that one of the castle's arms was about to fall off and it was just hanging by a thin slab of stone, most likely part of the foundation that used to make up the castle. "I am the bone of my sword." Shirou projected a spiraled sword resembling a drill in his right hand and mounted it on his bow. "Caladbolg!" He fired the arrow and it streaked towards the demon, after colliding with the castle's arm it exploded violently after Shirou overloaded it with his prana.

The explosion blew apart the castle's arm as well as half of it's chest, sending it crashing to the ground with an earsplitting boom. The castle staggered back and struggled to maintain it's balance. After regaining itself it swung it's remaining arm angrily at Shirou, it was too thick to jump over and it was too wide to dodge. Shirou was hit with full force. It felt like every bit of bone in his body had been smashed to dust as he was sent flying straight through a thick tree at least 50 yards away. Shirou cried out in pain and fell limp to the ground.

"SHIROU!" Saber, Arcueid, and Shiki called out in unison, shocked as Shirou was smacked half a football field away. The castle roared and stepped forth to attack Saber next.

Saber bent her knees, taking a glance back at Shirou who lay unmoving on the ground. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt a mixture of worry for Shirou, and anger at the castle before her. The castle raised it's hand to smash it down onto Saber. She felt an adrenaline rush as she saw it's hand bring itself down.

Saber needed to disable this thing quickly for Shirou's sake. Lately she was acting like a lovestruck girl, and she realized that's exactly what she was. She loved Shirou and she wanted to return to his side as quickly as possible. Once all this was over she wanted to make his life a utopia. If she could do that then maybe, just maybe she would reach her own.

Saber reached inside of her heart and pulled out the name of the utopia that would keep her safe even when the world around her came crashing down. Saber's true Noble Phantasm was pulled out in a bright golden light just as the castles hand was about to crush her. Her sheath, her devine protection, her ideal. That is what it symbolized, it was a glorious golden sheath adorned in royal blue ornaments.

"AVALON!" She shouted the name of her ultimate protection and she was eveloped in a bright light, sealing her off from the realm of man. While she had it's protection, nothing could cause her harm. A Noble Phantasm with an EX rank, the ultimate defence, this was Avalon - All Is a Distant Utopia.

Saber raised her sword and blocked the hand threatening to crush her without strain to her muscles. She flung the hand away, causing the demon to stagger sideways from the immense force. If she couldn't kill it herself, she only need immobilize it until it fell apart from Shiki's ability. She ran for its legs as fast as they would carry her. The joint in the castle's legs was almost completely falling apart.

"EX-!" Saber jumped high into the air to reach the weak joints in the knees of the Demon Castle, positioning herself to the side so she would take out the both of them in a single swing. "-CALIBUR!" She swung her holy sword, the huge blade of light blowing apart the castle's legs and sending the torso plummeting to the ground with a earthshattering boom as Saber landed lightly on her feet.

"Saber that was amazing!" Shiki exclaimed as he ran towards Saber to congratulate her.

She nodded to Shiki and then began to run straight for Shirou. "Shirou!" She called his name when she neared him but it seemed that he was still knocked out. She put her head to his chest to confirm that his heart was still beating, luckily his heart was still beating, albeit faintly. Saber had confidence in his healing abilities attained from transforming into a Counter Guardian, she was sure that he'd be up on his feet again in a couple of days.

Arcueid watched as Saber picked up Shirou and began to carry him over to where the car was that Saber drove there, laying him in the backseat. The car remarkably had not suffered any damage due to being parked far enough away from the castle to avoid it's rampage after Shiki cut it's lines. She had never seen Shirou hit so hard, she was sure that his bones had been crushed to dust from the Demon Castle's attack. After Shirou was safely secured in the backseat, she turned her attention to the ramains of the giant. Something was emerging from it's chest area.

Saber, Arcueid and Shiki briefly turned their attention to the sound coming from the castle's chest. An mettalic object about the size of a large refrigerator shot straight into the air and slammed into the ground. The three of then rushed forward to examine the object.

Shiki knocked on the front and found that it was made most likely of titanium. "What is it?" He asked and looked back at Saber and Arcueid.

"It's a pod. You can open it from there." She pointed to a latch on the side that could be used to open the object.

"Are you saying that there was someone still in the castle?" Saber asked in confusion. She was curious but she wanted to hurry to Shirou's side as soon as possible.

A hissing noise came from the pod as it depressurized. The three of them stepped back, the sun had sunk behind the hill and night was starting to take over as the pod opened.

"You bastards! How dare you destroy one of my Castles! Those things aren't cheap you know!" A man in a suit stepped out and glared at the three of them.

Shiki rushed foward and pressed his knife against the man's throat. The man gulped loudly and backed away from Shiki until he was backed into the pod again and there was nowhere to escape from Shiki. "We've got a few questions for you, so unless you want to end up in as many pieces as your house here I suggest you answer them, Van-Fem." He said in a cold voice.

Van-Fem's crimson eyes darted from Shiki to Arcueid and finally to Saber as if searching for someone who would sympathize with him. He truely had the eyes of a coward.

"Altrouge Brunestud is trying to ressurect a Dead Apostle Ancestor by the name of The Dark Six. What can you tell us about it?" Arcueid asked. Behind her Saber stepped forward to get a closer look at Van-Fem.

Van-Fem uttered a sigh, like he gave up trying to resist. "The Dark Six is meant to bring all Dead Apostle Ancestors together when it is awakened. Most of us are eagerly awaiting the Alyesbury Ritual." Van-Fem explained reluctantly.

"What happens after that? I doubt it's goal is to have a giant tea party." Shiki asked.

Van-Fem chuckled. "It will carry out the will of Brunestud the Crimson Moon." He said with a menacing smile.

"Enough with the riddles!" Saber stormed forward with her hand gripping her sword tightly. She was angered by the fact that Shirou was still laying unconcious in the back seat of the car and she was still held up by the interrogation. "Speak clearly or I shall decapitate you where you stand!" Saber narrowed her eyes.

Her anger seemed to get through to Van-Fem as he appeared to be more afraid of Saber than of Shiki who's blade was still pressed against his throat. "Very well. The will of The Crimson Moon is to take this planet for his children. Namely us vampires." He explained in a shaking voice.

"What about it's powers?" Arcueid asked.

Van-Fem turned his attention to her. "I don't know much I'm afraid. The Dark Six has been regenerating for quite some time." He looked afraid as if he sensed that he was about to be killed.

"Then I'm afraid you're no more use to us." Shiki said coldly and pressed the blade closer to Van-Fem's throat.

"Ah wait wait wait wait!" He said frantically as he tried to wrack his brain for something. Just when Shiki's blade was about to cut into the line in his neck Van-Fem managed to remember something. "Mystic Eyes!" He shouted, making Shiki's blade stop.

Arcueid clucked her tongue. "That's nothing special, all vampires have at least some type of Mystic Eye." She wondered if Van-Fem took them to be stupid.

"No, no wait! The Dark Six is a special case. it's posesses a special kind of Mystic Eyes. They have no effect on other vampires but are extremely powerful to anything else. I believe they are classified as Rainbow within the color system." Van-Fem said frantically.

Arcueid looked surprised. "Rainbow? That classification is almost unheard of!"

"Yes, it is for that reason that it is the DAA's number two. Second only to the White Beast of Gaia." Van-Fem explained, not taking his eyes off Shiki's knife.

"The Aylesbury Ritual, what's it's purpose?" Shiki narrowed his eyes and pressed the cold steel closer to Van-Fem's throat.

Van-Fem pressed himself further into the back of his pod in a futile effort to escape the point of the knife. "I-I-It's supposed to speed up The Dark Six's regeneration to almost instantly."

"How?" Shiki narrowed his eyes which were glowing with an electric blue color.

Van-Fem who had seen their activity within the castle on CC Security Cameras knew Shiki was the one responsible for the destruction of his Demon Castle. He built them to be impregnable, if this man had destroyed it using a simple fruit knife then he was quite possibly the most powerful person here as far as destructive capabilities went based on his observations. It was Shiki who he was the most afraid of. "S-S-Sacrifice. A Sacrifice with high magic potential is required. There's more specifics and I think it has something to do with the consumption of the body and soul." Van-Fem explained.

"I've heard enough." Arcueid said. She knew she'd reached the extent of Van-Fem's knowledge.

"Wait, wait wait wait!" Van-Fem's eyes darted towards Arcueid and pleaded with her. However she only made a small nod towards Shiki.

"This one is for Shirou, you pathetic bloodsucker." Shiki growled and plunged his blade into the point on Van-Fem's throat. After a long gut wrenching scream and a spurt of blood Valery Fernand Vandelstam evaporated into dust and was silenced. Shiki flipped the blade back into the slot in the handle and returned it to his pocket. His eyes reverted back to their original color and he looked up at Arcueid and Saber. "Can all of us fit into the car you took here?" He asked Saber.

"Yes, it will not be a problem if I tend to Shirou in the back seat." She said. She was eager to leave and get the injured Shirou out of the area.

"I'll drive!" Arcueid said enthusiastically with a wide smile and began to skip towards the car. To Saber it seemed like both of their moods changed rather suddenly, in an instant the both of them had switched from cold interrogators back to their normal selves. She wondered of they had experience doing this sort of thing frequently.

Arcueid slid into the driver's seat with Shirou in the passenger side while Saber took her place in the back with Shirou, placing his head gently upon her lap. Shirou was breathing rather evenly, making Saber wonder if he was just asleep at this point. Saber did not see any visible injury on his body save for a few scratches on his face, however she was sure he couldn't have come out of that with at least a couple of broken ribs. Seeing him like this, sleeping peacefully it was hard for her to take her eyes off of him.

"How is he?" Arcueid turned her head behind her to take a look at Shirou.

"Idiot! Watch the road!" Shiki grabbed the wheel but other than that his outburst went unnoticed.

"He should be fine in a couple of days I would estimate, a little longer than normal." Saber replied. "However, should you not be paying attention to the road ahead of us?" She looked over Arcueid's shoulder at Shiki struggling to drive the car while leaning over Arcueid. Saber wondered how such a person became so carefree.

Arcueid smiled and before turning around to return to her task of driving asked, "You love him quite a lot don't you?" She asked the question even though she knew the answer. Yes, she did worry about Shirou's well being a bit. However she hasn't had the proper moment to tell him. Something as important as confessing to someone should be saved for the most romantic moment possible.

"Will that moment ever come?" She said quietly to herself as she looked down at the sleeping Shirou and began to lightly stroke his hair. At that moment the phone inside Shirou's pocket rang. Saber looked down at it, hesitant on whether or not to retrieve it. After a few rings she dug up enough nerve to carefully fish it out and hook it to her ear like she'd seen Shirou do many times before.

"Saber here."

"Saber?" It was Narbareck, she clearly hadn't been expecting her to answer Shirou's phone. "Where is Emiya?" She asked, her tone of voice was indicating that she was expecting the worst.

"Shirou took a bad hit, he is now unconcious. I suspect he may have quite a few broken bones, it might take him a couple of days to heal fully." Saber explained.

"And the mission?" She'd never say so, but Narbareck was worried about Shirou however the mission took priority over her personal feelings.

"We succeeded in destroying the Demon Castle and interrogated Van-Fem. It seems that The Aylesbury Ritual will instantly heal The Dark Six through sacrifice of a powerful Magi." Saber told Narbareck everything that she and the group had found out from Van-Fem.

"Rainbow Mystic Eyes?" Narbareck sounded concerned at this particular bit of information from Saber. "Return here at once so that we may talk in more detail." With those last words Narbareck clicked off her phone.

"What did she want this time?" Arcueid asked, this time without turning around in her seat.

"We are to return to headquarters immediately to hold a meeting about our findings." Saber explained.

At that moment Shirou began to stir in the backseat, Saber didn't want to wake him but it seemed like pain woke him up anyway as his eyes shot open and he grunted. It felt like he'd just been hit by a car and he draped his arm over his ribs. Just as he'd thought, a couple of them were broken. He looked up and saw Saber looking down at him and Shiki looking back from the front seat at him.

"How you holding up? That was a nasty hit you took." Shiki asked as Shirou looked around the cabin of the car.

"I'll be alright. More importantly, is the Demon Castle destroyed?" Shirou asked and looked up at Saber.

"Yes, the castle has been eliminated along with Van-Fem." Saber replied with a faint smile, she was glad to see that Shirou was awake and his attitude hasn't changed. Saber filled him in on what had happened after he was knocked out.

"I see. Thanks for taking care of me." He smiled up at Saber who blushed slightly.

"It was my pleasure." She replied in a warm tone of voice.

"Ah, if you don't mind I think I'll rest for a bit longer. Wake me when we get to the airport alright?" Shirou asked in an exhausted sounding voice. Counter Guardian or not, it takes quite a bit of energy to heal one's body even more so if the injuries are severe.

"Yes, please rest yourself." She replied and watched as Shirou closed his eyes.

"Glad to see he's finally awake." Arcueid said with a grin. "Take good care of him alright? We can't have him dying on us." She said half jokingly.

"It's the same with Shiki isn't it?" Saber asked.

Arcueid shrugged. "Yeah, he's just as invaluable to me as Shirou is to you."

Shiki's face turned red in the seat next to Arcueid. "Arc..." It appeared as if it was embarassing being talked about in front of other people.

"It appears we're not so different after all..." Saber said to herself and looked down at Shirou.


	18. The Rival's Second Battle: Black Demon!

ACT XVIII - The Rival's Second Battle:The Black Demon Appears!

Shirou had a difficult flight. It was a bit embarassing having to be helped around everywhere. Since his legs were still weak Saber had to lend him her shoulder when they walked on and off the plane back to the Agency's headquarters in Rome. He was teased along the way by Shiki and Arcueid who thought that he "looked weak and innocent being helped by a girl like Saber."

The four of them reached the Burial Agency headquarters again by taxi and Saber helped Shirou walk inside behind Shiki and Arcueid. They walked through the cramped stone hallways until they reached the section of offices. They met Narbareck talking with a man near her office, she mumbled something to him after nodding and walking off.

"Emiya? You don't look so good." She said after noticing them approaching her.

"Let's see how good you look after getting smacked through a tree by a building." Shirou joked with a grin.

"I think I'll pass." She then turned her attention to Shiki. "Welcome to the Burial Agency Tohno-san. I appreciate your help so far." She greeted him.

"Well somebody has to keep Arc in check." He grinned and then jabbed Arcueid gently in the side.

"Isn't it me that's always looking after you?" She shot back playfully.

"If you'll follow me I have some interesting information for the four of you from Ciel." Narbareck said after motioning towards a meeting room to her right. Arcueid and Shiki entered the room followed by Saber who was assisting Shirou.

"It's alright Saber, I think I'll be alright now." Shirou said after stopping her from pulling out a chair for him to sit in.

"Have your legs healed properly already? It has only been a few hours since your injury." She said with a worried face. If he were to walk on his injured legs it could make the injury worse.

Shirou sat down and turned back to Saber, "I'll be fine for now at least as long as I don't have to fight, it's going to take a bit longer till I can fight properly." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Saber didn't look satisfied but backed down and turned her attention to Narbareck, now was not the proper time to be talking if Narbareck had valuable information.

"Now then, down to business." Narbareck put her elbows on the table. "Ciel has informed me that the enemy has taken a hostage."

"A hostage?" Shirou gasped. He couldn't think of any reason that the Dead Apostle Ancestors would take a hostage, but at least it meant that they percieved the Agency as a potential threat.

Arcueid thought about the information that they recieved from the late Van-Fem. "Is this person a magus?" She asked, if the hostage was indeed a magus it would mean that the Ancestors planned to sacrifice them.

Narbareck shook her head, "Unknown. However we are obligated to rescue them. My private plane will be preped first thing in the morning." She said as she linked her fingers together.

"Your private plane? Why?" Shiki asked.

"Because I am going to be comanding the assault. The hostage is being kept in the castle belonging to Trhvmn Ortenrosse, he is the current leader of the Ancestors and as such his castle is protected by a small security force. Most likely vampires themselves." Narbareck explained. "I will inform you of the plan in the morning." Narbareck looked over Shirou's shoulder to notice a figure peeking in the window. "For now I think there's someone outside who wants to see you." She grinned.

Narbareck opened the door and left the room, after leaving Sakura entered. "Good evening everyone." She said with a warm smile.

"Sakura!" Shirou stood up out of his chair, glad to see his friend was still alright. However he stood up too fast and his still fractured bones sent a shock of pain through his body that made it feel like he was throbbing. "Ouch..." He said and Sakura ran forward to catch him before he fell.

"Senpai are you alright?" Sakura asked, looking at him with concerned eyes. She hated seeing him hurt, she hated it more than anything. Her only wish was to prevent such a thing, however she hadn't managed to do that even once since leaving home. She was always the one being protected and it ate her up inside.

Shirou was puzzled on how to answer, he didn't want to worry her and tell her what happened but he didn't want to lie to her either. He knew she worried about him constantly and he greatly appreciated her feelings. "Where's Rin and Rider?" Shirou asked avoiding Sakura's question.

"Na-san sent Rider out to clean up a few Shisha. As for Nee-san I'm not too sure where she went but she should be around here somewhere." Sakura gathered that Shirou had been hurt by avoiding her question. But she knew there was nothing she could do about it, there would be no good coming from scolding him for being reckless.

As if on cue Rin walked through the door. "Hi everyone." She said with a friendly smile. Something seemed different about her. Then it hit Shirou that Rin was wearing her hair down instead of in bows like she normally wore.

"Hello Rin." Shirou greeted her with a smile. "Ah, that's right I haven't introduced him yet. Rin, Sakura, this is Tohno Shiki. Shiki, meet Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura." He said introducing them to each other.

Shiki stood up and adjusted his glasses. "It's a pleasure meeting both of you." He said warmly.

"The pleasure is mine Tohno-san." Rin replied.

"It's nice to meet you too Tohno-san." Sakura replied as well.

"Ah, if you'll all excuse me I still have some work to do. Merem asked me to get a list of the some of the Holy Scriptures we have. See you later Shirou." She said and bustled off down the hallway.

It seemed like everyone had found their place in the Agency when he and the rest of the group were out on missions. "Hime-sama, could I speak with you for a moment?" A man peeked his head in the door and looked expectantly at Sakura.

"Sorry, I can't help you right now. Come back tomorrow." Sakura replied Shirou had returned.

"Hime-sama?" Shirou tilted his head in confusion. He wondered when people around her began to address her like that.

Sakura's face turned a light shade of pink. "Yes, everyone around here has started calling me that." She replied with embarassment.

Sakura was indeed very beautiful and intellegent. She was one of the most popular girls when they went to school together and she seemed to make friends pretty easily. Sakura was always the shy type, Shirou guessed that's one of the things that made her desireable to other men. She was often asked out by boys but Sakura always declined. Shirou knew she had eyes for him for many years now, but after Saber came into the picture their relationship became simply very close friendship, though Shirou suspects that she still and always will deeply love him.

"I am glad to see that you are settling in well here Sakura." Saber smiled.

"Thank you Saber-san. I'm glad to see that you've been taking good care of Senpai." Sakura said warmly.

"Of course, I would never willingly let any harm come to him. Shirou is special to me, as I know he is to you and Rin as well." Saber stated.

"Ah! That reminds me, I gave Fujimura-sensei a call the other day." Sakura said happily. Miss Fujimura Taiga was their homeroom teacher in high school. In addition to that she was the one responsible for raising Shirou after his father died. Her father helped Shirou out with the expenses of the large house that Shirou's dad had left him, being a real estate tycoon and the leader of the local Yakuza chapter old man Raiga had plenty of money to spare. The daughter, Taiga was about as tomboyish as one could get. She would much rather be practicing her kendo (she already happened to be a 5th degree) or leading the archery club at the high school than shopping for pretty dresses.

"Taiga? How is she?" Saber asked. She had not seen Fujimura since the 4th Holy Grail War. She had been rather energetic when she was around, it was no coincidence that her nickname was "Tiger" even though she severely disliked it. Perhaps that was one of the reasons that Saber got along well with her, Lions have respect for Tigers and vice versa.

"Her father died about a year ago so she inherited the family business." Sakura replied.

"Taiga a Yakuza boss? Now that is scary. I think it might be a sign of the end of the world." Shirou joked, though secretly he was half serious. Fujimura was was known to be quite hyperactive and childlike, Shirou wondered what kind of Yakuza boss she would turn out to be. His mind flashed back to the time where she'd run him over with a Vespa.

Saber and Sakura both laughed. Meanwhile Shiki and Arcueid were sitting at the table having their own side conversation which Shirou was not paying much attention to.

Sakura clapped her hands together and her eyes lit up like she just got an idea. "I know! Nee-san should be finishing her duties about now, and Rider should be back soon as well. I was thinking we could all have dinner together." Arcueid's ears perked up at the mention of food. Sakura saw her out of the corner of her eye, looked up and smiled. "Of course you and Tohno-san are invited as well." She said warmly.

"Yahoo!~ Thank you Sakura-chan!" Arcueid exclaimed with more enthusiasm than was needed.

Shiki nodded in agreement with Arcueid, without the excess energy of course. "I'll warn you right now though Matou-san..." Shiki began with a slight smirk on his face. "We might get kicked out of the place, Arcueid's appetite is legendary." He finished, knowing he'd embarass Arcueid. He considered it payback for the many times she'd done this same to him lately.

"Shiki!" Arcueid puffed out her cheek angrily. Shiki gave a wide smirk which may have well said 'Victory is mine.'

Sakura giggled. "It's fine then, we have our own person just like that so it won't be a problem."

Out of the corner of his eye Shirou happened to notice that Saber's face had turned red. She probably remained silent about it so as not to draw attention to herself. Shirou gave her a comforting pat on the back and she turned to him and smiled. As it is, Shirou liked Saber's large appetite. He enjoys cooking whenever he gets the opprotunity and it lifts his heart to watch Saber eat his masterfully prepared food.

After talking for awhile longer, Sakura showed them all places where they could all clean themselves up a little. The Underground Headquarters of the Burial Agency was almost completely self sufficient, and had many facilities that one would use in their everyday life. Whether it was light, water, or heat it was all provided within the compound. Places to sleep were also provided, Saber insisted on staying in the same room as Shirou though the rooms were small and only held the bare essentials.

After a rather refreshing and long deserved shower Shirou plopped down on the bed in he and Saber's room. It felt like it had been so long since he'd actually gotten a good night's sleep, the recent traveling had been taking a tole on him. He remembered the last time he really relaxed was back in Misaki, his thoughts wandered to how Kohaku, Hisui, and Akiha were doing. Shirou closed his eyes and heaved a relaxed sigh, not hearing anything but the sound of Saber washing herself in the shower. He knew in the morning he'd be going back to the fight against the vampires, so he might as well take this time and enjoy himself.

A few minutes later Saber wandered out of the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothes that were provided by Sakura when she showed them into the room. Her hair was still down and a few tiny drops of water glistened within her golden hair. She spotted Shirou sprawled out on the bed looking so relaxed she couldn't help but smile faintly. After the shower she herself felt a little relaxed even though a battle loomed on the day ahead.

"Shirou?" She called his name softly so as not to spoil the relaxing and quiet atmosphere.

"Mmm? What is it Saber?" He opened his eyes and sat up, turning towards her.

"How is your body? Do you feel any pain anywhere?" Dispite knowing how extraordinary his newfound resilience and healing abilities were, she still couldn't help but worry.

"My muscles feel a little tight and there's still some slight pain in my knees and ankles. But that should heal up quickly." Shirou was still trying to figure out his body, there didn't seem to be a constant rate at which his body healed. Something told him he hasn't even explored his true physical potential yet either. 'Perhaps I'm still getting used to this power...' He thought to himself.

"Very well, please refrain from overexerting yourself until you're fully healed. If I do not think you are fit for battle tommorrow I will not let you go." Saber said as she took a seat on the bed next to him.

Shirou was flattered that she was worrying so much about him, but he thought that she would take into account that his body was no longer something that could be considered human. 'Or maybe she doesn't want to think that...' Maybe something inside of her disliked his new abilities, at times his body did feel foreign and unnatural to him. Perhaps Saber could sense this and she thought he had changed in some way.

"How about you Saber, how are you holding up?" She had been traveling as much as he was, Shirou started to wonder if even Saber had become tired.

"I am fine, I have sustained no injuries however the traveling has been causing me to become mentally exhausted." Saber answered with a smile.

"As I thought. Hopefully tonight everyone will be able to sleep peacefully." Shirou replied.

"Yes, I believe everyone has earned a good night's rest."

A soft knock came at the door just then. Shirou stood up and opened it to reveal Sakura and Rider. It seems Rider had changed from her battle attire into a black turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans, of course Breaker Gorgon was also replaced with a pair of magical glasses made to keep her eyes sealed. Sakura herself wore a long purple dress and a white sweater. Sakura beamed at Shirou and even Rider had a faint smile on her face when Shirou opened the door.

"Good evening you two." Sakura greeted them happily.

"Hello Sakura, are you done helping out Narbareck for today?" Saber asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Na-san has retired for the day." She then turned her attention to Shirou. "How are your injuries Senpai?"

Shirou uttered a sigh, for years he could not understand why she still insisted on calling him that. "I'm alright now, I heal pretty fast these days." Shirou said with a smile and then turned to Rider. "Has Narbareck been keeping you busy Rider?"

Rider nodded. "Yes, I have been assisting Merem clean up around the area. It seems we are both ideal because we can travel long distances in a short amount of time." She said.

"Are you saying that he can keep up with your Noble Phantasm?" Saber asked astonished.

"Yes, Merem posesses a demon that resembles a giant flying stingray. He moves very quickly when riding it." Rider affirmed. Both Shirou and Saber wondered exactly what kind of power Merem Solomon had if he controlled a demon that could keep up with Bellerophon.

"Have you seen Rin yet?" Shirou asked Sakura.

"Yes, she should be gathering Merem, Arcueid-san, and Tohno-san. We're supposed to meet them at the entrance to leave." Sakura brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Merem is coming with us too?" Saber asked.

"Yes, I invited him. One more person couldn't hurt right?" Sakura said.

"I'll admit I have been wanting to find out more about him." Shirou wondered if Merem even ate human food, he was a Dead Apostle Ancestor after all.

"Shall we go then?" Sakura smiled widely.

Shirou nodded, "Are you ready Saber?"

Saber stood up from the bed, "Yes, let us enjoy ourselves tonight." She said with a relaxed look on her face. She walked towards Shirou and hooked her arm with his.

Shirou blushed slightly and scratched his cheek to hide it. Sakura led them to the entryway where they found Rin, Shiki, Arcueid, and Merem (and his rat which was perched upon his head) waiting for them.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Shirou waved to everyone as he walked arm in arm with Saber.

"You all took your sweet time getting here. We almost left without you." Rin said only half seriously. In reality she would never leave without anyone, however it was fun teasing people.

"I'm sorry Nee-san. Rider and I were catching up with Saber and Shirou a little." Sakura apologized.

"I see. I was hoping to be the first one to talk to Shirou but I suppose you beat me to it." Rin sighed.

"Better luck next time Nee-san." Sakura smiled triumphantly.

The rat on Merem's head leaped off and clung onto Sakura's sweater. It clambered up the cotton material, making Sakura squirm as it's tiny claws tickled at her chest however she didn't protest it's movement. Finally the rat reached it's destination of Sakura's shoulder and rested itself in the crook of her neck. Sakura giggled lightly and scratched the head of the white ball of fur with her index finger.

"Sakura... you've been spoiling him again haven't you?" Merem sighed.

Sakura only shrugged. Rin was standing next to Arcueid staring at the rat with a horrified look on her face. It appeared as if Rin had a particular fear of rats and after a large shudder that coursed through her whole body she began to ask Arcueid questions about her Marble Phantasm as a distraction.

"I'm surprised you're walking around. Something like what happened to you would normally be enough to kill somebody." Shiki said, leaving Rin and Arcueid to their conversation. (Prying answers out of Arcueid was difficult, even for Rin as Arcueid gets distracted fairly easily.)

"Well, lucky for me I'm not exactly normal anymore." Shirou gave a slight chuckle.

"I wonder if anyone I've ever met could be considered normal..." Shiki sighed.

"Come on, let's go!~" Arcueid said with excitement as she bounced impatiently up and down.

Shiki glanced back. "Ah, I think we'd better go. The Princess is getting impatient."

The group stepped outside, happily chatting amongst each other while walking down the street. It appeared that Sakura had discovered a steakhouse not far from the Burial Agency's entrance so there was no need to hail a cab. The evening air was cool and was not even a breeze to be felt, the sun dipped into the horizon and painted the city an amber color. Saber walked arm in arm with Shirou after seeing Arcueid doing the same with Shiki. They reached the restaurant a moment later and were all seated at a large table in the center of the dining area.

"I'd like to thank you once again for inviting us Matou-san." Shiki said after pulling up a seat next to Arcueid.

"It's no trouble at all Tohno-san. You've been helping Senpai so much lately it's me who should be thanking you." She said with a wide smile.

"Shiki... you aren't flirting with Sakura are you?" Arcueid pursed her lips, coming to the wrong conclusion as she most often does in social situations.

Both Sakura and Shiki's face turned red.

"Arc, you know better than that. Why would I do that when I'm already involved with you?" Shiki pulled out Arcueid's one weakness... logic. Or perhaps it was because she knew what Shiki's reaction would be and just wanted to tease him.

As Shiki thought, Arcueid started laughing. "Shiki is so cute when he blushes." She said happily.

"Ugh..." Shiki grumbled, Arcueid's follow up attack only making his face turn redder.

"Arcueid is awefully shameless..." Saber commented.

The defeated Tohno Shiki's head smacked onto the table. "You have no idea Saber-san."

Just then a waiter came and took everyone's orders. As expected Saber and Arcueid ordered a lot of food, it looked like they wanted to have a competition as they stared at each other with a challenging look in their eyes. Shirou had seen this once before when Arcueid had challenged Saber to a drinking contest and Arcueid just barely won. Shiki had a troubled look on his face, like nothing good could come out of their competing.

Saber as a knight had no right to back down from a challenge. No, she would never even think that in the first place. Especially with Arcueid. The two of them seemed to get along well, but were actually quite competative with each other for a reason unknown to anyone but themselves. However perhaps they don't even know, they are so similar that perhaps they cannot except getting beaten by the other. Shirou experienced something similar once, the only difference between that situation and this was the fact that Shirou definately did not get along with that person. As a matter of fact, they ended up trying to kill each other in the end.

"Alright~! Here we go!" Arcueid exclaimed excitedly when a large slab of meat was placed in front of her. Her eyes lit up like gems and she grabbed her fork and knife.

Next to her, Shiki seemed to have given up trying to talk Arcueid out of it and just ate his food with a defeated look on his face. Trying to talk Arcueid out of anything was a task that takes a special kind of person to accomplish.

"I won't lose to you!" Saber declares confidently.

The meal began hecticly. Shirou mostly tried to eat in peace and ignore the competition however it got harder as Rin took it upon herself to act as an announcer and urge them on. Merem seemed to be in the same opinion as Shirou as he just sat quietly next to Sakura sipping on what looked like Cherry Coke. As expected, Merem did not order food because he could not digest it.

"Amazing! Arcueid ate the potato in almost a single bite! But it looks like Saber is following close behind by ripping the flesh off those ribs like an animal!" Rin's commentary was almost acurate as the normally cute girls turned into a couple of ravanous beasts.

Everyone watching was speechless. Shirou himself could not remember the last time he'd seen Saber like this. Well, that's not neccesarily true. It was the summer after the 5th War and this same kind of thing happened. Fujimura ended up challenging Saber and then something horrible happened, it was a side effect that happens from time to time when Saber gets serious or angry about something.

Shirou's eyes shot wide open and he turned his gaze to Shiki who looked worried at Shirou's hectic expression. "We've got to stop this now!" Shirou's eyes screamed. Shiki seemed to get his meaning and nodded.

"Arcueid, that's enough." Shiki attempted to talk Arcueid out of continuing.

Arcueid's neckbone creaked as she turned to look at Shiki with a fire blazing in her eyes. Shiki himself almost fell out of his chair in terror at the look she'd given him, he threw his hands up to protect himself but Arcueid only returned to eating.

"Scary..." Shiki muttered.

As his ally was defeated it was up to Shirou. They were now starting to draw the attention of the rest of the people in the restaurant. He turned to give Saber a piece of his mind but it was already too late. Saber had changed into a horrible monster that was the side effect of her being corrupted many many years ago. Her normally golden hair had turned pale, her skin was bleached white and her beautiful emerald eyes became a yellow color. Even her clothing had changed, the bow in her hair became as black as the rest of her outfit. Saber had transformed, the girl before them was the more extreme parts of Saber's personality. One could even say she wasn't Saber at all but a tainted black corruption.

"Oh boy, here we go..." Shirou said ominously.

"It appears as if Saber has now changed from blue to black! That must mean she's become serious! Arcueid-san looks nervous now!" Rin's commentary came. Indeed Arcueid did look a bit taken off guard by Saber's change. Sakura, who had seen Saber change before was across the table looking as concerned as Shirou. Merem who had been sitting quietly this whole time had a confused look on his face.

"Rider!" Sakura gave a command which only Rider seemed to understand. She nodded and silently got up and grabbed the black Saber who began to protest.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing Rider? Let me go!" She exclaimed and struggled as Rider put her into a Full-Nelson and began to drag her out of the place.

"Calm down Saber. You've lost yourself again." Rider explained. When Saber transforms she usually doesn't even notice it, she acts much different than she normally would and says things that she would never normally say. One could call it a split personality from having to keep her emotions locked up for so long, able to take complete control through the corruption. Saber had control over it at one point but sometimes she still lost herself in extreme situations.

Everyone watched as Rider dragged the struggling Saber out of the restaurant, once she was safely out the door the group began to follow them.

"Sorry about all this." Sakura said and everyone threw down however much their food cost and rushed out the door after Saber and Rider.

Outside Saber was still struggling with Rider. "Let me go damn you!" She shouted.

Rider simply held Saber in a position where she could do nothing. "Not until you relax a little and realize your position." Rider said coldly. Shirou, Sakura, Rider, and Rin had found the best way to deal with Black Saber was depending on the circumstances. Sometimes it was best just to let her wear herself out, other times she had to be calmed down. In all cases the change back is completely random, Shirou guessed that she would be back to normal in the morning even if there was no way to tell.

"Wait... does that mean I have to spend the night with her like this?" He muttered to himself. The thought was a bit scary for various reasons. He'd suggest that he sleep in a separate room but on second thought Saber might kill him for thinking that as she was.

"Hah? You say something Shirou?" She stopped struggling against Rider to ask him.

Had she heard him? Shirou immediately took the look of a scared rabbit who'd been spotted by a fox. "N-nothing."

Saber pursed her lips and narrowed her yellow eyes. If she'd heard him, Shirou would have to prepare for the worst. However her rage seemed to have subsided for the moment.

"Saber? Have you calmed yourself?" Rider asked, still tightly holding onto her. It must have taken the sight of seeing all her friends staring at her being restrained to calm her down, however she was still Black.

"Yes. Let me go." She answered. Her voice had deepened slightly to match her personality, this was among the many changes but oddly enough it still suited her.

Rider released Saber and she stood on her feet. The moon had risen and dominated much of the sky, a slight night breeze ruffled Saber's gothic lolita clothing which had appeared when she'd transformed.

"Shirou and I are going back." She looked at Shirou expectantly.

"Wait a minute, don't you think you should apolo-mmph" Arcueid's mouth was muffled by Rin's hand before Arcueid said something that could get them all killed.

"We'll all go back then." Rin said. It would be best to escort Shirou back with Saber. Knowing Shirou, he would probably say something stupid and make Saber angry.

"Well, I supposse that's fine." Saber seemed satisfied and grabbed Shirou's arm, pulling him along with her as she walked.

The walk back was silent. Shirou however, was thankful that his friends didn't leave him to his death with this woman. He wondered why now of all times this happened, he figured it must have been her competitive spirit with Arcueid that allowed this to happen. He was sure Rin's encouragement didn't help either. Shirou cast a look back at the group that said 'Help'. Shiki scratched his cheek and looked away. Arcueid shrugged. And even Rin just gave a nervous laugh.

Back at the Agency everyone was forced to return to their rooms, mentally exhausted from dealing with Saber on the way back. Saber pulled Shirou into their room and shut the door behind them.

"You said something interesting back there Shirou." Saber narrowed her eyes.

"Ah, no I think you must have heard wrong." Shirou defended himself, perhaps he could convince her she never heard anything.

Saber took a couple of steps forward and leaned towards him. "I believe it was something along the lines of 'I don't want to spend the night with you.'" Her face was dangerously close.

He was a dead man. Saber had heard him complaining earlier. This fact caught him speechless. He tried to retreat to the other end of the bed but Saber leaned forward and grabbed his shirt. "That's definately not it!" Shirou exclaimed.

"Lying will get you nowhere with me." Saber said sweetly, however her eyes held a murderous intent mixed with lust. Saber pushed Shirou to the bed and forcefully brought her lips to his.

Her lips were hungry and aggresive, she forced open his mouth so her tongue could slide in and taste his fluids. His strength seemed to be stolen by this and he couldn't do anything but lay helpless. She pulled her lips away and sat up, straddling him like a cowgirl. Shirou tried to throw her off but found that his hands were tied to the bedpost with the black ribbon from Saber's hair. Saber then pulled out a cat o' nine tails seemingly out of nowhere. She lovingly stroked the leather straps at the end and then pulled it tight, looking down at Shirou with a smirk that would kill a Texas Ranger.

"Where the hell did you get that!" Shirou exclaimed in terror.

"I'm going to have some fun tonight." Saber raised her arm.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shirou's scream could be throughout the entire Agency Headquarters.


	19. Castle of the Wing

ACT XIX - Castle of the Wing

Shirou groggily opened his eyes and found a soreness was spread through his body like he'd just ran fifty miles nonstop. He tried to move his hands to rub his eyes but found that they were still firmly tied with the ribbon from Saber's hair. Their clothes lay strewn haphazzardly around the room, Saber showed no mercy as expected. Shirou recalled the events from last night and looked down at himself. Over the entirety of his body were bruises and a few tiny cuts, nothing major of life threatening. He turned his head towards the other side of the bed and found Saber still sleeping peacefully. It seemed that sometime while they slept she'd returned to her normal self, the bedsheets clung to her form as she slept not leaving much of her to the imagination.

"Awefully carefree aren't you? You do things like that and then sleep so peacefully." Shirou said quietly to the still sleeping Saber. He wondered what time it was, there was no clock in the room and there was also no window so it was very hard to tell. Despite all she put him through, he found he couldn't be angry with Saber at the sight of her sleeping face. Unfortunately he was still bound to the bed so he couldn't even get up to shower. Now that he thought about it, he was probably strong enough to get out of the situation himself. However he was more likely to rip the bed apart on accident so he decided it was better just to lay there until Saber woke up.

Shirou closed his eyes and attempted to relax a little. Ironically he then remembered that he was suppossed to meet Narbareck early in the morning so she could brief them on the battle today. His body should be fine by the time they had to do any fighting, but there was still the problem of getting out of bed. He could not bring himself to wake Saber, no matter what the situation was so it put him at a disadvantage.

After a few minutes Shirou finally heard a cute yawn and the ruffling of the sheets next next to him. Saber sat up with her back to him and stretched her arms out. The sheet fell and exposed her white back. She turned around and looked at him tiredly. The sight of him laying there seemed to snap her fully aware.

"Eh...?" She said completely dumbfounded by the situation. By the way she reacted, Shirou gathered she was either too tired to know what was going on yet or she simply didn't recall what happened.

"Good morning Saber." Shirou greeted her casually. He was curious to see if she remembered anything or not, however maybe it was better for her if she didn't.

Saber was speechless. She glanced at her own body, then Shirou's, and then finally she took a look around the room. She then wordlessly leaned over and untied Shirou's hands. The look on her face could be described as shock and disbelief. "I...I did this to you didn't I?" She asked shakily. She already knew the answer, but she prayed that it wasn't true. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, this wasn't how she wanted it to be with Shirou.

Shirou nodded. "Do you remember anything?" He asked her. He could she that she was distraught, almost on the verge of tears.

"Yes. I believe I now know how Akiha felt back then..." Saber said regretfully and lightly touched the bruises on his chest.

In an effort to console her, Shirou sat up on the bed and drew her close. He couldn't get angry with her if she acted like this. Saber's arms wrapped around him and her body pressed against his as if the physical contact could heal him. "This and that are completely different." Shirou replied. Her skin and her body felt warm and oddly relaxing as Saber held onto him tightly like he was going to run away because of what she'd done.

"Are you not angry with me?" Saber asked shakily.

"Well, I used to be." Shirou shrugged. "I find that it's hard to stay angry with you over something like that." He said softly.

"Shirou, I practically tortured you last night and you say that you aren't angry." Saber's voice almost seemed angry at Shirou himself. He was way too forgiving for his own good sometimes.

"Well... it wasn't neccesarily all bad." Shirou admitted in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. He needed to get Saber back into good spirits if they were to perform effectively today.

"I did not realize that you were a masochist Shirou." Saber pulled away and looked at him. Her eyes were red even though she had not shed any tears, or perhaps it was that she was just very good at hiding them.

"Ahaha. I think that's a conversation for another time." Shirou stood up and began picking up his armor. "Come on, we have to get ready." He smiled and held out his hand to her.

Saber sighed, pushing her shame to the back of her mind. She had done an unspeakable thing to Shirou and had absolutley no control over it, she felt as if her honor had been shattered. However if she hadn't ruined her reputation with Shirou, who was able to shrug it off so easily, perhaps that was all she needed. She took his hand and let him help her off the bed, even going as far as to help her pick her clothes up off of the floor.

()()()

"You two took your sweet time getting here." Rin said with frustration as Saber and Shirou entered the meeting room where Narbareck would be going over the plan of attack.

"Sorry everyone, there were... complications." Shirou said and took the empty seat next to Sakura who wordlessly smiled a 'good morning' to him. Saber took the empty seat next to Shirou.

Narbareck had her hair pulled into a long ponytail and it changed her look. She turned from a whethered buisnesswoman to a skilled killer just by her clothing. She wore a black suit with a Holy Cross emblazoned on the tie she wore around her neck, she wore a pair of white leather gloves each with a gold cross on the back of each one and a smaller one on each knuckle. She truly resembled a skilled hitman. She waited until Shirou and Saber had both sat down to start speaking.

"I'll get straight to the point. This isn't going to be easy. Which is why I'll need all of you, even if I think some of you should stay back." She shot a glance over at Sakura who gave her a deterimined look back, as if they'd have some kind of a conversation beforehand.

"Ortenrosse has a large security force. Do you think we can take them all?" Merem spoke up, Shirou almost didn't notice him because his head barely goes over the table.

"I don't expect us to. The rest of us will be a distraction while a single person makes the rescue."

"Us? So the Agency's number one will finally take the stage again?" Merem said. Nobody could tell what kind of expression Merem had, but Shirou convinced he was smiling.

"Which is where you come in." Narbareck turned to Shirou. "You'll be the one infiltrating his castle. Knowing Ortenrosse, he'd be in his throne room in the back most likely with the hostage with him."

Shirou nodded.

"This is all very odd. Vampires don't take hostages." Arcueid said, and Shiki seemed to nod in agreement.

"I agree, something else is going on here." Rin seemed to take their side as well.

"Either way, this person needs to be rescued. We can't just leave them to their fate can we? If an Ancestor has so blatently taken a hostage, they might be trying to provoke us." Rider offered her opinion.

"Then provoke us they have. No Ancestor has ever taken a hostage in this manner before. It could be possible that they want us to know about it, and that they expect us to come." Narbareck narrowed her eyes. "In all probability, this is a trap."

"It's a good thing we're here then." Shirou said with a smirk. "Springing traps is our specialty."

"Now that... is a very good answer Emiya." Narbareck seemed satisfied with his answer. Narbareck then stood up and slipped on the black overcoat that lay over the back of her chair.

"Ortenrosse will expect an insertion from the sky, so we'll be dropping in by helicopter a little ways off and going on foot from there." She explained as she put a hand on her hip.

"What about security?" Saber asked.

"Expect Shisha, low class vampires, and a few Dead Apostles."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Arcueid stood up and put her hands on the table.

Narbareck smiled. "Absolutley nothing Princess. LET'S GO!" She said in a commanding voice and headed out the door followed by Merem, Rin, Shiki, and Arcueid.

As Sakura stood up Shirou stopped her by grabbing her shoulder. "You're not going, are you Sakura?"

Sakura turned around and looked at him, there was determination in her eyes like he hadn't seen since the morning before they all left with Arcueid. "It took me five minutes to convince Na-san to let me go along. I am going with you Senpai." She turned around and began to walk away with Rider.

Shirou again grabbed her shoulder. "Sakura..."

Sakura turned back around, prepared to yell at her beloved Senpai. But instead she was greeted with a smile that left her speechless and took her offguard.

"Just be careful alright?"

Sakura nodded and watched his back as he walked passed her. The white shroud around his waist swaying back and forth as he walked. He truly resembled a knight like those that were talked about in stories. She couldn't help but stare. He hadn't changed much over the years, he still wants to be a hero of justice just like he did since he's been a small child. However, Sakura now believed that he looked the part.

"Sakura, let's go." Rider touched her shoulder to bring her out of her staring and urged her forward.

Shirou remembered Narbareck talking about something like a private plane, however he didn't expect anything this nice. The plane was small, large enough for perhaps ten people it looked normal enough except for the large crosses painted on the tail and wings. Narbareck and some of the others were already inside, Narbareck herself wasn't piloting the plane but instead two other men Shirou didn't know were at the cockpit and co-pilot seats. Inside Shirou took a seat across from Saber, the seats went two by two however there was a table in between each one rather like the seats in a restaurant. It looked more like a jet a rich person would have than one suited for what Narbareck was using it for.

Sakura then entered the jet and took a seat, Rider of course taking the one accross from her. The two of them almost never seemed to be without one another, Rider was extremely protective of Sakura and Sakura didn't seem to mind the attention. The two of them had the relationship of very close sisters, rather than one of Master and Servant.

"Where exactly are we going?" Rin asked after remembering that Narbareck wasn't exactly clear about where Trhvmn Ortenrosse's castle was.

Narbareck dug into her pocket and retrieved a pair of sunglasses. She looked back at Rin after slipping them on, "Germany, there's a large forest in the southern part of the country. That's where Ortenrosse has his castle. There will be a hellicopter waiting for us when we land, we'll use that to get the rest of the way." She explained and then walked up to the cabin to check with the pilots.

Soon the voyage was underway and the jet soared into the sky and headed North to Germany. Saber for the most part was quiet as she sat next to Shirou, she was still thinking about what she'd done to him the previous night and it lingered in her mind. She was more ashamed at losing control than anything.

"Saber, you need to stop dwelling on that alright? I've already forgiven you for it so you don't need to worry anymore." Shirou put a hand on her shoulder.

She took his hand and held it. "I am sorry. If you have forgiven me then I will try not to dwell on it so much." It would be hard for her to forget something like that, but for his sake she must try.

"Senpai? Are the two of you alright?" Sakura asked concerned. To the rest of them, Shirou and Saber were acting rather odd since dinner the previous night.

"We're alright Sakura." Shirou answered her with a smile.

"It's good to see Saber is back to normal this morning." Rider chimed in as she looked over at them.

"Yes, it seems I recovered sometime while I was sleeping." Well, it was the truth after all. She didn't turn back until after she'd had her way with Shirou.

"That's reassuring, though I would have liked to see your Dark side in combat. Even if she does have an attitude problem." Rin leaned over her seat and jumped in the discussion. She must have been listening to their talk while sitting in her seat accross from Merem and behind Saber.

"I do not think that would be a very good idea." Saber chuckled lightly.

Most of the plane ride passed just like that with idle talking in the group. The only one who didn't seem to talk much was Narbareck and of course Rider. Between Arcueid's teasing and Shiki's complaining about always having to kill something the flight that lasted several hours went by quickly. Soon they were flying over Germany, from what Shirou could tell they were mostly around the agricultural part of the country. Below them were also several very large forests, one of which no doubt held the castle of Dead Apostle Ancestor number seventeen.

The plane landed at a small private airport, no doubt the reach of the Burial Agency had grown indeed. Shirou thought they must have churches allied with them all over the world, probably backed financially by the Vatican. After the plane landed everybody exited and headed down the tarmac towards a single military grade hellicopter, complete with machine guns and missile launchers on the wings.

"Alright, everybody in." Narbareck ordered as the pilots entered the cockpit and started the engine. Everyone followed her and piled into the hellicopter. There was barely enough room for all of them and Shirou was thankful there were doors on it so they wouldn't worry about falling out. Shirou made sure everyone was inside before getting in himself and sliding the door shut. Saber ended up being pressed against his side, blushing slightly as the softness of her chest was squished against his arm. Additionally Sakura was squished against her and Rider against Sakura. It was a tight fit indeed for everyone.

The hellicopter was loud as they flew southeast from the small private airport at which they landed. They passed over a very large forest, the trees were so thick that one could barely see the ground below them.

"That must be the place." Shirou muttered as he stared out of the window.

A few minutes later they reached the edge of the forest and the hellicopter began to decend. It touched down with a bump and the door was open by the pilot, strapped around his shoulder was an HK UMP 40 automatic weapon. The copilot was equipped with an SA58C Carbine outfitted with a scope and a silencer. The group piled out of the door and the sticks and leaves under their feet crunched as they hit the forest floor.

"We go on foot from here." Narbareck ordered them to move forward and took the lead. She was not holding any weapons that Shirou could see, but perhaps she was hiding something under that long coat of hers. Perhaps even her gloves were special as they did look pretty flashy. The forest was quiet save for the groups movement, the two pilots took positions next to Narbareck. They must have been picked personally to guard her.

It felt odd to Shirou seeing such weapons, he wasn't used to firearms and he secretly wondered if he could project them as well. However there was no glory in killing someone with a gun, it takes no skill to point and shoot someone according to Shirou. In fact one could say that he hated firearms, it was uneeded for him to even use them as he had his Sword Revolver ability.

"Emiya, you have improved eyes right?" Narbareck asked him in a quiet voice that barely could be heard over the sound of crunching leaves.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I can see further than normal and I have exceptional night vision."

"Interesting." Narbareck thought he had powers awefully similar to Vampires themselves. Counter Guardians sure were amazing.

The group went silent after that. They walked for what seemed like hours, and even the sun had started to set overhead. Sensing something, Saber activated her magical armor which covered her body after a flash of light.

"I think we're getting close." Saber said quietly. Narbareck looked back at her and nodded. She motioned with her hands for her two guards to take point and keep heading straight.

Shirou could see a break in the trees further ahead and it wasn't long before they reached it. Narbareck signaled everyone to stop and sent the pilot with the scoped Carbine in first to survey the situation. The man stepped forward to and knelt down in the grass to raise his rifle and look through the scope.

"Large gate, maybe one hundred feet high made of iron by the looks of it." He said quietly. "There's four looking out on the wall. beyond that I can't really tell. If we want to get in I think we're going to have to go through the gate." He finished and lowered his weapon, standing up to look at Narbareck.

"We start by taking the bloodsuckers on the wall. Tohsaka, Rider. They're all yours. My men will be providing us with support." She explained. Dispite the darkening sky, Narbareck kept her sunglasses on. It enabled her with an HUD, giving her the positions of everyone on the team having also infared and night vision capabilities they were not only stylish but provided her with tactical support. "The rest of us will provide them with a distraction while Shirou uses the chaos to sneak inside. No doubt with all of us out here the security will be hard pressed." Narbareck finished and everyone nodded.

"I can provide support from the back with a bow. I don't need to hide." Shirou submitted, he wanted to help out as much as he could before he went off on his own.

"As long as you do your job, I can live with that." She said and motioned them to move forward.

Rin and Rider took the head of the group followed by the pilot with the Carbine. And stepped forth into the clearing, the looming stone wall stood before them in the middle of the German forest. Behind the wall lay a large whitewashed castle, in the back of the castle was a smirking man holding a figure in his arms. Merem smirked and cracked his knuckles, Arcueid bent her knees and prepared to run, Shiki dug a hand into his pocket and took off his glasses with the other hand. Saber readied her blade covered by a sheath of wind. Sakura's arm began to be engulfed with her shadow element and Narbareck dug in her robes and pulled out what looked like the handles of swords with no blades, holding them in between her fingers.

"Trace on." Shirou muttered and light began to flow from his left hand. The frame of a bow weaved itself into existance and then solidified. Shirou squeezed the handle and took a long look at the stone wall, the turrets of the castle could just be seen above it. Shirou couldn't leave the person in there to their fate with the Dead Apostle Ancestor whoever they were. He set out to help people, now was his chance to finally save someone.

Shirou projected an arrow and fitted it to the string of his bow. His eyes focused in the wall, a vampire was standing and looking in to the threes keeping watch over the entrance to the clearing. He raised his bow, aiming directly at the vampires head.

"Whoever you are... I'm coming." He fired.


	20. Lord of the White Wing

ACT XX - Lord of the White Wing

Shirou fired his arrow, sending it screaming towards the vampire standing atop the stone wall. The arrow streaked through the air and sped directly through the vampire's skull sending him falling to the ground after a spurt of crimson red blood.

"Intruders at the gate!" One of them shouted. Rin ran forward and threw a jewel at one of them, completely incinerating the vampire in a violent explosion. As the vampire fell into a screaming pile of ash more of them jumped onto the wall.

"Go! Go! Go!" Narbareck shouted the order to attack and they rushed the group of vampires. "Shiki, get the door for us will you?" She asked calmly. She poured her prana into the blade handles between her fingers and shining blades grew from them. However these were not normal blades, these were the Black Keys of the Church. Made from pages of the Holy Book itself and blessed accordingly. She ran with the group into the vampires and slashed at one of them, the blessed blades tearing through it's body like knives through butter.

"Let's go Shirou." Shiki drew his knife out of his pocket and flicked the blade open.

Shirou nodded and followed Shiki through the chaos towards the front gate. Two vampires tried to stop them on the way but they were quickly dispatched by Shirou's arrows and Shiki's knife. Shirou caught a glimpse of Rider running straight up the wall to knock a few vampires off. Saber meanwhile was busy defending Sakura's back on the ground, while Sakura took care of the vampires in front of them with her shadow magic.

The two of them reached the gate which Shiki cut open with his knife. "Watch your back and good luck in there." He said sincerely to Shirou, his eyes glowing slightly in the darkening forest clearing.

"And you watch your back out here. Don't go dying on me." Shirou replied and ran through the gate.

Shiki nodded to his back and returned to the fight outside the gates, narrowly avoiding being caught by surprise by a vampire jumping off the wall. Shiki rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet, charching forward and piercing the point on the vampire's chest.

Shirou rushed across the lawn towards the front door of the whitewashed castle, the sound of gunfire and metal filling his ears from the battle behind him. As he neared the front door it flung open and two vampires holding swords jumped out at Shirou. With all his might Shirou swung the bow still in his hands and sent them flying over the wall.

"Hm... homerun." Shirou chuckled and ran inside, throwing the bow aside to project Kanshou and Bakuya. His feet clattered along the stone floor as he ran through the castle, for the most part the place was oddly silent dispite the number of vampires that answered the attack out front. The castle was decorated like one would expect, lots of expensive paintings and tapestries chaneliers every few feet to light the way. Dispite being out in the middle of nowhere the castle was built sparing no expense.

Shirou continued to run, his feet padded along the floor. He didn't know where he was supposed to be going, but he was betting the hostage was being kept in the very back of the castle. Most likely that's where the throne room was, along with Trhvmn Ortenrosse himself. He had to save this person, now was the chance he'd been waiting for.

As Shirou ran through the hallway two vampires popped out of doors on opposite sides of the hallway. With Kanshou and Bakyuka clutched tightly in his grip he did not stop running towards them, as he neared the both of them raised their clawed hands. Shirou dropped to the ground and slid on his knees directly between the two bloodsuckers, cutting their legs out from under them with Kanshou and Bakyuka causing them to yell in pain and collapse into a pool of their combined blood.

Shirou then hopped to his feet and continued running. The chandeliers on the ceiling began to blur together with the speed at which he was running, blood dripped off of the tips of his swords from the wind as he ran. How long would the hostage last now that the enemy had invaded the castle? The uncertainty made Shirou worry. One other thing, it was unlike the Burial Agency to send an entire team after just one person. The only reason Shirou didn't say anything then was because that's what he wanted, he guessed Narbareck did in fact know whether or not the hostage was a magus or not. It seemed like something she should have told them when she found out.

Shirou hung a left into a long hallway which he sped through in about half a second due to his inhuman running speed, turning right after that he found himself in front of a pair of large doors. He must have finally reached the back of the castle. Rushing towards them he flung them opened and stepped inside. The room was circular, resembling a cylinder with holes spread around the round cieling causing the room to see no light except for a coat of arms in the center of the room. The coat of arms itself was unique, it featured thorned vines growing over a pair of crossed sword and it was the only part of the room that saw light, be it sun or moon.

"It's about time. I was wondering how long it would take you to get here." A man that was standing in the back had turned around. He was wearing a deep red suit, almost identical to the color of blood which matched his eyes. His hair was short and black. In his right arm he held a struggling figure and in his left he held a rapier. It could only be the master of the castle Trhvmn Ortenrosse himself.

"Shirou!" The struggling figure in the man's arms called out Shirou's name. It was the voice of a girl. Her red hair came down to her shoulders and her figure was not that different from Rin's. Of all the places to see him, she wasn't expecting this. In fact, she wasn't expecting to ever see him again.

"A-Aiah?" Shirou spoke in disbelief, he hadn't seen her since that night under the Ryuudo Temple. After the war she went back home, she must have been kidnapped from there.

Trhvmn looked down at Aiah and then at Shirou, a sinister smile was spread across his face. "I see introductions are not needed." His voice was smooth and elegant like water flowing over rocks in a stream. He was the image of what a vampire would look like, the very thing one would picture in ones mind when the word "vampire" was mentioned. Beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time.

Shirou took a couple of steps closer.

"Ah ah ah. I wouldn't do that." Trhvmn pressed his blade to Aiah's throat, who raised her neck to avoid the blade.

"I don't think you'll kill her. You need her right?"

Trhvmn began to laugh loudly. "You don't think so?" His laughing continued, as if Shirou had just told the funniest joke he's ever heard. "And why do you think that is?"

"You need her as a medium to ressurect Ancestor number two isn't that right?" Shirou replied. His eyes narrowed.

"You're very well informed." Trhvmn smiled. "I thought with all the chaos that we've caused nobody would manage to figure that out, not even the Agency. One thing I didn't expect however was the involvement of the True Ancestor." He sighed as if regretting he did something wrong.

"So you're the one that's pulling the strings." Shirou realized the man standing before him was the one who had put all of this into motion. "Why are you doing this now? After all these years you've been alive why now?" Shirou didn't get it, vampires like him have existed for hundreds of years why was it now they decide to do something like this.

"We have realized that now is the time to take this world for the Crimson Moon." Trhvmn spoke meaningfully. "Earth shall become bathed in a sea of blood and darkness, and The Dark Six will be the harbinger that brings in the new world." He smiled, revealing his sharp fangs. He lifted Aiah in his arm, snaking his tongue out of his mouth and dragging it across her neck. Aiah squirmed and cried out. "This girl, this girl is the key. Killing her means nothing to me. There are plenty of other Magi in the world, however the Black Princess seems to think this particular girl is more valuable." He said regrettablly, as if he would love nothing more than to plunge his fangs into her throat and drain the life out of her that very instant.

Shirou could do nothing but hold his ground, he could not charge. If he pushed Trhvmn, he might just kill Aiah dispite what he's been told. He did have a point, there were plenty of other Magi in the world.

"However before I leave this place I would love a chance to cross blades with you." He smiled.

Shirou tilted his head in confusion. "What?"

"I've been keeping an eye on you for some time. And this woman has also told me about you." He smirked.

He'd planned this. Shirou was in the palm of his hand. He knew Aiah meant something to him by the reaction when he entered the room, Shirou couldn't move or she'd be killed instantly. As fast as Shirou was, a blade inchest from Aiah's throat would be faster. This was also not the kind of person that could be caught offguard, also Shirou had nothing onhand that could be used as a distraction to take Aiah and escape. Shirou grit his teeth.

"I've been told you're a Master of Projection magic. That in itself is very interesting." Aiah sqirmed in his arm. "If you want this girl that badly, I can loan her to you. I suppose I'll just say that she escaped in the battle." His grip loosened on Aiah and she slipped out of his arms.

"Shirou!" The second her feet hit the ground she ran directly for Shirou. She collided with him and hugged him tightly.

Trhvmn brandished his sword and stepped down from the raised platform where the throne was.

"Aiah, get out of here. Saber and the others are waiting outside the gate."

"You're not thinking about fighting him are you?" Aiah's eyes looked like they were pleading for him to follow her.

"He'll follow us, if I fight him here you can escape safely." His grip tightened on Kanshou and Bakyua.

Aiah stopped to think. She was a magus, maybe she could help him somehow? No, that wouldn't work. She'd only end up getting in Shirou's way. "Dammit." She grit her teeth. "I didn't save your life before just so you could die here!" She yelled. "You'd better live Shirou!" She ran out the doors and her footsteps could be heard growing faint as she ran down the hall.

"So tell me the truth. Aiah didn't know I can use Projection. So then, how did you find out?" Shirou took a step towards Trhvmn.

"Sharp aren't you?" He smiled. "I can tell you use Projection by your weapons there." He pointed at Kanshou and Bakyua. "I can tell they're fakes, but your imagination is quite good isn't it?"

Shirou was shocked. How could he tell just from that? His Tracing should appear real to anyone. No... wait. Perhaps this was an advantage. Normal Projection spells fade quickly, however Shirou's could last a long time. His Tracing was special, for all purposes the weapons he "Projected" were real. The only difference between the real thing and Shirou's projection, was that his projections were always a rank lower. As an example, Caladbolg is an A rank Noble Phantasm. When Shirou projects it, it is lowered to B ranking. If his enemy doesn't know this, then he could use this to gain the upper hand.

"Surprised?" Trhvmn smirked. He bent his knees eager to start the fight. "Enough talk for now. Let's let our swords to the talking." He charged.

Shirou felt the wind from the vampire's feet kicking off of the ground. His weapon is a rapier, a blade made for stabbing and not cutting. They were also poor for defending, it would be easy to break leaving Trhvmn defenceless. He barely had time to dodge before the point of the sword was coming straight for his neck. In an instant Trhvmn had appeared behind him and thrusted the blade at his neck. Shirou twisted his body and spun away, raising his arm and swinging Bakuya at Trhvmn's torso.

Trhvmn raised his rapier and blocked the blow, the sword in his hand shattering and fading away as he jumped out of the way.

"That was-!" Shirou had seen that reaction many times before. From his own projections breaking.

"That's right. In life I was a magus from the Age of Gods specializing in what you now call Projection Magic." He raised his hand and projected the same elegant rapier in his hand. "I spent my entire life mastering it." Trhvmn bent his knees. "Let's see how you compare!" He charged, the point of his sword screaming towards Shirou's heart.

Shirou crossed his swords and blocked the blow, the sword in Trhvmn's hand shattered. He projected a dagger in his other hand and brought it down to stab at Shirou's shoulder. He twisted out of the way and flung Bakuya at Trhvmn before he had a chance to recover. The white sword neared the vampire just as he raised his arm. Did he think that would save him? Bakyua would tear right through him.

Trhvmn smirked as sparks exploded from where Bakuya collided with his arm. On his arm was a small steel wristguard that had blocked the blade, it hadn't been there before. It had been projected by the vampire now smirking as the guard faded away.

Shirou kicked off the ground and sped towards Trhvmn, however he was ready. A well-timed roundhouse kick landed Shirou in the head and jogged his brain sending him flying back and into the stone wall, leaving an imprint of his body in the granite. This guy was strong, Shirou could not attack him normally. Not only could he project weapons, but it seems he could project armor as well. That was troubling. It shouldn't be possible that he's able to do it that fast. No one but Shirou should be able to use projection for combat, it's impractical. The mere fact that this man was able to keep up with Shirou was amazing.

Shirou dropped from the wall and landed back on his feet. He felt a trickle of blood pass between his lips which he turned his head and spat out. This wasn't the time to get unnerved. This guy was just in his way. If Shirou was going to beat him he had to think. Was there a limit to his attack and defence? If so he needed to find it. The only way to do that was to keep exchanging blows with him.

Shirou took another charge at Trhvmn, dodging the kick this time and following up by aiming to stab him through the ribs with Kanshou. A loud clang was heard as sparks flew off of the piece of armor that was projected there. Trhvmn stabbed at Shirou's shoulder, he rolled it back to dodge and aimed a cross slash with both weapons. An armored breastplate appeared for just a moment as the swords screamed across them. Trhvmn jumped back and the sword in his hand shattered.

Shirou hadn't hit the sword that time, he was too busy dodging it and attacking so as not to give Trhvmn enough time to do anything but defend. That meant that Trhvmn was only able to maintain the projection for a minute or two. This time Trhvmn projected a broadsword sword in each hand, probably to match Shirou's style. He brandished the large swords with ease, most likely due to his inhuman strength.

Shirou would need something a bit longer if he was going to keep up with Trhvmn now. "Trace on." Shirou muttered, holding tightly onto Kanshou and Bakuya.

"Trace? What?" Trhvmn tilted his head in confusion. He'd never heard that aria before, was it something new? What was this man in front of him about to do?

Shirou began to reinforce Kanshou and Bakyua. The blades began to bend to his will, growing longer and longer. "Trace, off." What Shirou now held in his hands resembled more like a pair of wings, feather like edges protruded from the backs of the blades.

"Interesting..." Trhvmn muttered and kicked off the ground hurling himself towards Shirou. He raised his swords and brought them down, only to be met with an earsplitting crash and flying sparks. Shirou had blocked his blows.

Shirou pushed him back sending him off balance as he slashed horizontally with the reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya. The armor again appearing on his torso to block Shirou's blow before fading away. Trhvmn regained his balance and slashed at Shirou with the sword in his left hand. Shirou raised Kanshou and blocked it with a loud clang echoing through the room. Trhvmn swept his foot along the ground to trip Shirou, however he heard this and jumped back narrowly avoiding the follow up swing that was meant to cleave him in two. The tip of the sword screamed across his armor, sending sparks flying in every direction.

There were just trading blows, neither one of them had met the other's swords. Was Trhvmn that powerful that he was able to keep up with the power of a Counter Guardian of Shirou's calibur? On top of that were his projections, there didn't seem any way to get past his defences. Trhvmn didn't seem to possess any spectacular ability, he just acceled at what he was given from being a vampire. Speed, Agility, Strength.

"I'll have you learn your place human! You cannot possibly beat me, however interesting you are. I am the original master of your chosen magic, there is no way you can surpass it." Trhvmn barked at Shirou announcing his supposed superiority. He raised his swords and charged Shirou with more speed that he'd seen out of Trhvmn yet, perhaps it was because Shirou was frustrating him, being as powerful as he was not many people could last as long against him as this man before him had.

Swing, no time to block it so dodge! Shirou juked to the left avoiding the blade aimed at his shoulder. He expected a follow up slash but was met with a boneshattering kick, sending him flying to his right and into the stone wall. Shirou grunted and fell to his knees for a brief second before standing back up. Trhvmn gave him no time to recover, charging again and swinging his swords wildly. Shirou was able to dodge the first couple of lightning fast strikes before he recieved a deep cut into his collarbone and another to his torso below his ribs.

"Know your place!" Trhvmn thrust his blade towards Shirou's throat.

_"Is this how you planned to die Emiya Shirou? Beaten by a man who uses the same type of magic as we do?" _A familiar voice spoke in his head. A voice he'd not heard for many years. _"You're pathetic. Is this what you wanted? Do you want to die here for your ideal?"_

"Shut up." The reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands shattered.

_"You'll never beat it like this. Do you remember anything I've told you, you idiot?"_

"I said SHUT UP!" Shirou screamed, knocking the sword away from his throat the tip cutting open his chin and lips but it was better than his throat.

"What?" Trhvmn clearly wasn't expecting Shirou to be able to counter that last attack, he thought his speed surpassed Shirou's. He was the leader of the Dead Apostle Ancestors, how could somebody like this be of any threat to him? He was the epitomy of vampirism, Counter Guardian or not he expected to beat this man.

"You're a vampire right? Then turn into a bat and fly!" Shirou kicked as high as he could, his boot colliding with Trhvmn's chin and sending him flying up into the air and almost reaching the cieling.

Shirou' projected a bow in his hand, his right hand began to shoot sparks out of it as he projected something else. Trhvmn's and his powers were different, he failed to realize that which is why Shirou would now be his end. Trhvmn was too arrogant to think that anybody could have abilities surpassing his own.

"Trace... on!" A long pole began to appear in midair, no it wasn't a pole. It was a spear. A spear of crimson, the head had a serrated edge and was made to instantly kill whoever was peirced with it. Shirou mounted the spear on his bow. The special bow that was made to fire anything, any kind of weaponry Shirou could project could be fired by it. Swords, axes, spears. Whatever it was, his bow had the durability to withstand it. The crimson spear pointed upwards at the vampire whose head had just plowed into the 15 foot tall cieling.

"Know the difference between us!"

Trhvmn's eyes opened wide with shock, the blood running down from the wounds in his head almost completely covered his face. He'd underestimated this kid severely. Little did he know, this wouldn't be the last time they'd see each other. No matter what, Trhvmn Ortenrosse would meet this person again. Of that he was sure.

"The Spear of Impaling Barbed Death - _GAE BOLG!_" He fired. The red spear screamed directly towards the vampire's heart. It would hit. Shirou already knew that, because it had already happened. His heart was already pierced, he just didn't know it yet.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A spray of blood. The spear had plunged itself deep into Trhvmn's body, he was completely impaled through the heart as he fell to the ground writhing in pain. The spear that impaled him faded from existance, allowing more blood to pour from his wounds.

Trhvmn backed away from Shirou and slumped against a wall, coughing up blood. He put his hand over the wound on his chest.

Shirou turned and kicked open the front doors from which he came. Behind them he found Narbareck and Aiah. Aiah had her hands raised like she was just about to open the doors herself.

"Shirou! You're alright!" She exclaimed and hugged him. After a few moments she backed away, embarassed with pink cheeks. "You were taking a long time to follow me out, so I asked her to come help me rescue you."

"Emiya, how are you wounds?" Narbareck asked as she put away the Black Keys she'd take out most likely when she was running to Shirou's aid.

Shirou put a hand over the gash on his torso, it was deep enough to dye parts of his armor red with his own blood. Just then the pain started to catch up with him, he grit his teeth and gripped his wound with his hand. He hadn't felt anything until now, probably a combination of adrenaline and a subconcious will to surpress it.

"How is everything outside?" Shirou asked through gritted teeth.

"It's all clear. Now lets get you bandaged up, I can't have my trump card dying on me. Ms. Cromwell, lend Emiya your shoulder." Narbareck took a pack of ciggarettes out of her pocket and popped one of them into her mouth, also taking out a lighter and lighting it. She began to walk back ahead of Aiah and Shirou.

"Shall we go then Shirou?" Aiah asked cheerfully, grabbing his arm and supporing him as the two of them walked through the hallway together. Shirou took one last look back at the room, feeling that something was off.

In the corner of the room where Trhvmn had been slumped against the wall there was nothing there any longer. No sign of him at all, save for a lonely pool of blood on the ground. Shirou narrowed his eyes and then turned forward again.


	21. R&R

ACT XXI - R&R

Aiah was introduced to everyone on the flight back to the Burial Agency. Of course this was after Shirou got a strict scolding from Saber about his carelessness. According to Saber he should have just ran out with Aiah where the rest of the team could have helped him, then Shirou would not have been injured. Aiah seemed to take more of a liking to Shirou after the ordeal. To her, he'd saved her from certain death. He may as well have rode in on a white horse, he was even injured for her sake.

Saber and Sakura did not look too happy about Aiah monopolizing Shirou's attention for the remainder of the flight back, talking to him about nonsense like what she did after she left Fuyuuki. However halfway through she wore herself out and fell asleep, she'd been through a lot so Shirou could understand.

"Senpai, do your wounds hurt much? They look pretty bad." Sakura looked concerned at Shirou's face. Both his chin and his lips had been cut deeply by Trhvmn's blade. There was no way to dress a wound like that so the most that could be done was clean and disinfect it.

"It stings a little when I talk. Don't worry too much Sakura, I'll heal in no time." Shirou replied with a smile.

"Shirou's right, his healing now is like when he was under Avalon's influence before." Rin confirmed for everyone who might still be doubting him. Saber by now was convinced of Shirou's healing, she must have just been saying it to reassure Sakura.

The remainder of the flight back was quiet, everyone seemed fatigued and tired. It was true that they hadn't been able to relax much recently with everything that had been going on and it was starting to take it's toll on them. Narbareck had been working them hard, and it was understandable why. Still, she had to realize that they (well most of them anyway) were only human.

Back at the circular table in Narbareck's office she waited for the description on what happened inside the castle between Trhvmn and Shirou.

"Do you think it's over then Shirou? You mentioned that Trhvmn was the one that put all of this into motion." She asked after Shirou had finished the story on what happened.

"No, it's deffinately not the end. Trhvmn was just a part of it, we still have to worry about Arcueid's sister. Trhvmn mentioned her, I think that was the reason why he let Aiah go. He couldn't afford to kill her because Altrouge thought she was more valuable than other magi in some way." Shirou explained. "He also said that he'd come back to get her. I don't think that we've seen the last of him." He added ominously.

"Shirou, you know as well as I that is impossible. If what you say is true you pierced his heart with Cu Chulainn's spear, there is no way he could have survived. Even a Servant cannot survive having their heart pierced." Saber was right. Gae Bolg, the demonic spear of Cu Chulainn who was the Lancer in the 5th Holy Grail war owned such a spear. So far Saber is the only survivor of being pierced with it, and that was a special circumstance where she was able to dodge an undodgable attack due to her supernatural instincts that bordered clairvoyance.

"I'm not so sure though..." Shirou's voice trailed off.

"You all look horrible." Narbareck said flatly as she observed the condition of everyone's face. Arcueid and Shiki had bags under their eyes, as did Rin. Shirou was slumped in his chair looking uncomfortable as if his entire body's muscle structure was tight. Saber did not show any signs of fatigue but Narbareck was sure she was a sore as Shirou was. Sakura and Rider were the only ones who looked well-rested.

"That's to be expected isn't it?" Rin said in an annoyed voice. "All of us have been given so much work recently we've been run completely ragged!" She pursed her lips.

Narbareck lit a ciggarette and took a long drag. "Yes, I know." She blew out the smoke. "With Ortenrosse out of the picture..." She began but was intterupted by Shirou.

"We don't know that he's dead. His body was gone when I looked back, it just feels wrong." He was convinced that Trhvmn was still alive.

Narbareck raised her hand before Shirou could continue. "Emiya, we don't know that he's alive in any case. I'll get some people on it." She returned her attention to everyone else. "Until we get some more information, I suggest you all get some rest. You've all done the Agency proud so far so I'll give you a little token of appreciation." She took another drag on her ciggarette. "Take a couple of days off. Anywhere in the world you want to go just let me know, I can have you there anytime."

"Anywhere? What if you're attacked while we're gone?" Rin asked.

"Not likely, we've dealt them a hell of a blow. They'll think twice before attacking us now. Now hurry and decide where you want to spend your vacation before I decide to change my mind about it." Narbareck replied.

"Let's go to Hawaii!" Arcueid proclaimed with newfound enthusiasm.

"Beaches eh? I've heard Waikiki is the place to go for that in Hawaii. Let's do it!" Rin also said in excitement. She was eager to get out in the sun and relax for a change, she took a look at her skin and thought it was starting to look rather pale.

"A beach does sound very nice, I can't remember the last time I went swimming." Secretly however, she was looking forward to shopping for a new swimsuit. It would be nice if she could find something that Shirou liked.

"If Sakura is going then so am I. I haven't sunbathed in quite some time, it will give me some time to catch up on my reading as well as try some of those fancy drinks that I've heard about in magazines." Rider seemed like she was actually planning on enjoying herself instead of just mindlessly following Sakura around like she normally did.

"We'll have to go shopping then later." She smiled at Rider with excitement.

"Yes, I've never bought a swimming suit before so I'll be relying on you Sakura." Rider nodded.

"What about you two?" Shiki cast a glance over at Shirou and Saber.

"A vacation does sound like just the thing everyone needs right now." Shirou thought for a moment. He was feeling quite sore, so it would be good to go somewhere and relax no matter what. However he couldn't help but think of how everyone would look in their swimming suits. He was sure whatever Saber wore, she'd look cute.

"Yes, the relaxation will do us all good." Additionally the beach at nighttime was the prime spot for romance, perhaps Saber could use this opprotunity to spend some quality time with Shirou. She had not been able to do so in quite a long time and it might be enjoyable to watch the moon with him on the beach.

"So it's decided, I have to make a few calls to set everything up. Now get out of here. I'm sure you all have things to do now." Narbareck killed the ciggarette in the ashtray in front of her before shooing everybody out of the room.

"Saber, the rest of the girls are all planning on going shopping together. You should come with us." Rider offered as they all were walking the halls outside of the meeting room. "It will be my first time buying a swimsuit too, so it's nice to have someone to rely on for advice."

Saber couldn't argue with that logic, she was sure Shirou wouldn't be any help. And it would be embarassing for her to ask him to pick something out for her. With other girls it couldn't be so bad.

"Ah, I guess it's just you and me then Shirou." Shiki grinned, putting a hand on Shirou's shoulder. "It's too bad Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku couldn't be here. I would have loved to have seen them in suimsuits." He sighed.

"Oi, just what kind of a person are you?" Shirou pursed his lips and looked at Shiki sideways. Akiha, Hisui, and Kohaku were his family yet he still had such thoughts in his head. He was certainly not lacking in shame about letting Shirou know about it either.

"Oh, er. You've got the wrong idea Shirou." Shiki waved his arms.

"Is that so? Then maybe you can enlighten me Shiki." Secretly, Shirou would also have liked to see the three of them in a bathing suit. However he'd never let Shiki know this. It was at least fun to taunt him since he was so defensive. Rin would surely have a field day with him if she ever caught him doing something embarassing.

"Ahaha, well that's..." Shiki scratched the back of his head with a nervous look on his face.

"Whatever. Let's just go. The sooner we get out of here the better, the girls already have a head start on us anyway." Shirou jerked his thumb in the direction of the door, letting Shiki off the hook for now.

"After you. I suggest we just follow the girls though, they'll lead us right where we need to go." Shiki suggested.

Shirou wordlessly agreed with him and started walking with Shiki following behind him. Saber had been the last to leave so Shirou had a pretty good idea in which direction they were heading. The shopping district wasn't too far away so he immagined everyone would just walk together. He and Shiki stepped out into the evening city. Shirou caught a glympse of Saber's clothing heading down a nearby street so he turned and followed.

Shirou couldn't remember the last time he'd been alone with another guy. Lately it's just been all girls and it had been rather taxing on his mind. In fact, now that he thought about it the last guy he use to pal around with all the time was Ryuudo Issei. Issei grew up at the Ryuudo Temple which he will eventually inherit when his father dies. In addition Issei was in charge of the student government at Homabura high school where they attended along with Rin and Sakura although Sakura was a grade younger.

"So what do you think about Matou-san?" Shiki intterupted Shirou's thinking with a strange question.

"Huh? Sakura? What about her?" Shirou still couldn't understand the meaning of Shiki's question. Sakura was Sakura, Shirou had known her for years. Sometimes their relationship became complicated because of her feelings but she was practically family to Shirou.

"Come on Shirou. I know that you know. She's crazy about you." Shiki just said it like it was nothing.

"Of course I know that, I've known her for years. I'd have to be completely stupid to miss it." Shirou scratched the back of his head as the two of them walked down the street.

"Has she ever confessed to you?" This question made Shirou go red in the face. Just the thought of it drove him nuts.

"N-No."

"Why have you two never-?" Shiki was cut off just then by Shirou.

"Shiki..." Shirou's eyes dropped as he took on a saddened expression.

"Alright." Shiki let out a sigh and adjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry Shirou. I won't bring it up again."

"Sakura is... Sakura is very special to me. She was there for me when I needed her years ago, she'll always be my closest friend. If circumstances were any different then yes, Sakura and I would be together but..." Shirou's voice trailed off, he was torn. He didn't want to choose between them, but he had to.

"But Saber is the girl for you." Shiki smiled and finished his sentence for him.

Shirou nodded.

"Neither one of you have told the other about your feelings right?" Shiki already knew the answer, but asked anyway.

Shirou's silence answered the question in itself.

"Well, now's your chance right? We're going to Hawaii. H-a-w-a-i-i. You're never going to get a better opprotunity." Shiki nudged Shirou's arm with his elbow.

The two of them entered the shopping district following close behind the group of girls. It wasn't hard to keep track of them as they stood out from the normal crowd, Rider was particularly easy to keep track of with her rediculously long hair.

()()()

The girls walked on, talking amongst one another. The streets were actually quite busy, people bustling about going to their destinations completely oblivious to the fact that there was a war with vampires going on right under their noses.

"Saber, I noticed that you didn't talk much with Shirou on the last mission. Did something happen?" Rider, who was walking next to Saber asked.

"No, our relationship has not changed." She answered.

"Are you serious?" Rin flipped her hair around and entered the conversaion like one would jab a fork into a piece of meat. "After all this time you mean to tell me that neither one of you has confessed to the other yet?"

Saber's face turned red. "There really has not been a good time for such things." She said with an embarassed tone.

Rin wagged her finger at Saber. "That's no excuse. I know you two have been sleeping in the same room for quite some time now. There must have been plenty of opprotunities. Or is there another reason Shirou has been so tired recently?"

"Rin!" If Saber's face got any redder, steam would surely start to rise from her skin.

"Ah look, we're here. Come on Nee-san we have so much to buy." Sakura nervously announced the group's arrival at the store, convieniently enough it specifically sold things like swimwear, surfboards, and other things. In an attempt to change the direction the way the conversation was going she placed her hands on Rin's back and began to forcibly push her into the store.

"Hey, Sakura wait a minute!" Rin's voice trailed off as the two of them entered through the doors first.

"Rider-san, you and I have similar sizes so let's help each other out." Arcueid said cheerfully, taking her by the hand and dragging her from Saber's side.

"Hold on a minute, Sakura is already helping me. Also this will be the first bathing suit I've ever picked out so Sakura agreed to help me."

"Aww, well then I'll have to join you two. Though I think my waist is a bit slimmer then yours." Arcueid said flatly like it was obvious information.

"Slimmer? Arcueid Brunestud, where exactly are you getting this information?" Rider narrowed her eyes angrily as the two of them walked into the store after Sakura and Rin.

"Don't get angry. I get all kinds of information from the Earth. Now just happens to be the time when knowing your three sizes would come in handy." Arcueid said it as if it was nothing.

"Is that so? I find that hard to believe." Rider said as she ruffled through a stack of two piece bathing suits that were a deep purple color.

"Really?" Arcueid had a mischievious looking smirk on her face. "From the top down, your measurements are eighty eight, fifty six, and eighty fo-!" At which point she was interrupted by Rider's hand covering her mouth. Rider's face turned a slight hue of pink, she took a look around to make sure that nobody had been listening.

"Please do not reveal such personal information." Rider whispered and her hand lifted from Arcueid's mouth.

"It's not that personal is it? We're not so different see?" Arcueid struck a pose, sticking out her hip and holding a hand behind her head. "From the top down, eighty eight, fifty five, and eighty five." She winked a crimson eye at one of the customers who ran out of the store with a bag in his hand, practically bleeding from his nose.

"Arcueid... you shouldn't give out such information so casually." Rider sighed. As much as this woman seemed to know, she didn't know anything about social situations or rules.

By the time the man ran out of the store with his bag Aiah and Saber were on their way into the store.

"Ah, I just remembered. This is a first for you isn't it?" Aiah asked as they began to look at some bathing suits hanging from circular racks in the middle of the room.

"Yes, I have never been swimming before." Saber replied.

"Well don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll have fun. In the meantime I'll pick out something good for you." Aiah said with a friendly smile.

Saber returned her smile. "Yes, I'll be relying on you then Aiah."

"I think white would be a good color for you, maybe some blue..." Aiah mumbled to herself as she began to ruffle through the stacks of swimwear.

The other girls also began to busy themselves with picking out different styles of swimwear and trying them on. Rider seemed to prefer black or purple, while Arcueid was looking at the white ones with Aiah while Saber stood behind her. Aiah glanced over at Arcueid and couldn't help but notice how well endowed she was. She looked down at herself and sighed, Aiah herself was a bit smaller than Saber in that department.

A few minutes later Shirou and Shiki finally made their way into the shop. Just as they entered they caught a glympse of Rin in a bright red two-piece talking indistinctly to Sakura. Sakura herself was wearing a white two-piece bathing suit trimmed in purple to match her hair, the bottom of the suit had purple bows that were purely for decorative purposes hanging off of each side.

Sakura noticed the two of them standing there and turned her head and smiled. "H-Hello, Senpai." She said nervously. She was nervous about showing off so much of herself. She normally wasn't used to wearing such revealing clothing.

"Shirou! Don't look you idiot!" Rin's face turned about as red as her bathing suit and she fled into the nearest changing room.

"Kyaa! Rin what are you doing?" Saber's yelp came from the changing room Rin barged into. Shirou guessed that Saber was in the middle of changing when Rin made her untimely entry.

Sakura tilted her head curiously at why Rin was so embarassed in front of Shirou. "So Senpai, what do you think?" Sakura smiled and asked, referring to the bikini she undoubtadly chose to buy.

Shirou had to avert his eyes and scratch the back of his head. However he found it was hard not to look at her. "It suits you." Shiki took that as his cue to leave and walk over to the men's section of the shop.

Sakura's smile grew wider. "I'm glad you think so." After that she twirled around and retreated into an empty cubicle where she got changed.

Rin and Saber came back out and were both fully dressed in their normal clothing, Rin aggressively pushed Saber to the counter to buy the bathing suits they'd chosen.

"Oh, hello Shirou. I'll see you later. Rin insists that I go back with her early." Saber greeted him as Rin pushed her out of the store with their bags in hand.

"Yep, Saber and I need to have a little talk so I'm borrowing her for a bit." Rin chuckled nervously as they headed out the door.

Just then Rider poked her head out of one of the cubicles, none of her could be seen through the curtains except for her head.

"Shirou? Is Sakura around?" She asked.

"Yes, what is it Rider?" Sakura came out of the cubicle next to Rider fully dressed with the bikini in her hand.

"I need your help with something." Rider said with a nervous tone in her voice.

"Alright, I'm coming in then." Sakura slid into Rider's changing room to help her with whatever it was she needed.

That was Shirou's cue to finally get his shopping done, walking over to the men's section with Shiki.

"Awefully popular aren't you?" Shiki grinned as he pulled out a pair of swimming trunks. He turned them over a couple times and checked the tag inside to make sure they were his size.

Shirou sighed. "You get used to it after awhile." He replied as he grabbed a simple looking pair of light brown swimming shorts. They stood out for him because the color matched his old school uniform, even better yet they would be a perfect fit for him.

Once Shirou and Shiki had finished their shopping most of the girls had already left before them. The only one left was Arcueid.

"Aww... it looks like I was left behind." She looked around and saw Shiki and Shirou leaving and she quickly caught up with them.

"Hi you two!" She greeted them excidedly.

"Hi Arc, finished shopping?" Shiki smiled at her.

"Hello Arcueid." Shirou greeted her.

"Yeah, it was quite troubling finding the right suit." Arcueid sighed as if the endevour had exhausted her somehow.

"Well I look forward to seeing you in it." Shiki said.

"You'll have to wait for that Shiki, it's going to be a surprise." Arcueid said with a smirk.

"Aww, just a peek?" Shiki put on his best puppy dog face.

The walk back to the Agency went on pretty much like that. Once they were back everyone returned to their respective rooms and packed their bags to leave first thing in the morning. Narbareck called each of them and explained they would be staying at a resort near one of the best beaches in the world. Shirou had not seen Saber for quite awhile, she had not returned to their room since they got back. Perhaps Rin had something important to talk about. But then what could it possibly be that they had to keep Shirou out of the picture about?

Shirou plopped down on the bed in his room and heaved a relaxed sigh. It had been some time since he had no battles to look forward to, it almost felt strange and foreign to be taking a vacation. For so long he'd been fighting something, and for all intents and purposes he still was. The Dark Six was still out there somewhere and Shirou had to stop it somehow. He thought about what Trhvmn said, it seemed that vampires were going to attempt to dominate the world and The Dark Six was the one who had the power to do it. Another thing was what he said about Aiah, why was she so important? And if so why did he let her go in the first place? Something seemed odd.

"Well, he did say that he'd come back to get her." Shirou said outloud to nobody in particular. Did he release Aiah just so the two of them could fight? That seemed like a logical reason but it still didn't fit. Perhaps he'd taken a liking to Aiah and would rather turn her into his slave than sacrifice her.

"Yeah, that's probably it." He mumbled and closed his eyes. He really was more tired than he realize, the muscles in his body were starting to not listen to him. Specifically the areas where he was recently wounded by Trhvmn. His bandages should probably be changed, but at the moment he just wanted to sleep for a little while.

A soft knock came at the door. "Shirou, I'm coming in." The door opened and Saber stepped in with the bag of things she'd bought for their vacation. She closed the door and turned around to find Shirou sprawled out on the bed and sleeping soundly. Saber had come back to change his bandages before dinner but it seemed like he'd fallen asleep from exhaustion.

"Shirou wake up. It's not good to skip meals." She said in an attempt to wake him, but found that her voice seemed to lower it's tone by itself. It was almost like she didn't want to wake him up. No that couldn't be it. However she found that after looking at his peaceful face she found it hard to even call out his name. She uttered a soft sigh and smile. "Sakura is cooking tonight, you're going to miss it you know." She said softly as if she expected it to wake him up.

Shirou did not answer her and just lay silently.

"I guess I have no choice then to have Sakura bring some rice by for you later." Saber approached the bed and leaned over him. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him sleep like this. She leaned over further and pressed her lips against Shirou's forehead, then smiling she left the room and let him sleep.


	22. Onipa'a

ACT XXII - Onipa'a

"Mmmn." Shirou opened his eyes slowly and yawned. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes he wondered how long he'd slept, there were no windows and no clock in the room so he couldn't tell what time it was no matter what. He turned and saw that Saber was sleeping peacefully next to him, on the nightstand was a bowl of rice with seran wrap covering the top. Shirou then recalled he hadn't eaten anything, he found it odd that Saber didn't wake him up. Lifting up his shirt he found that his torso was still bandaged, since he was awake he may as well eat and check his injuries.

Slipping off his t-shirt Shirou began to unravel the bandages tightly wrapped around his torso, most of them were covered with large splotches of his blood however under the bandages the minor wounds were completely healed as if they'd never been there. The only wound that was still causing him slight pain was the deep wound he'd recieved on the left side of his waist. The wound itself had closed but the area was still red and very sensitive, the cool air felt good on his chest so he decided he'd go out and find a microwave while leaving his shirt off.

The halls felt quiet, empty, devoid of any human presence at all. It had the same feel as if one were to walk through an unexplored tomb underground. Luckily Shirou was able to find his way into the makeshift miss hall, complete with a bar and a microwave. Though nobody was there the microwave stood in a corner on a counter behind the bar. There were also several circular tables with chairs on all sides of them. Shirou popped open the microwave and threw the bowl of rice in for thirty seconds, holding the chopsticks he'd brought with him in his hand. Soon, he was sitting peacefully at one of the tables enjoying the warmed up rice with some water from the sink.

A cute sounding yawn came from behind him, rather like a cat waking up from a very relaxing nap. "Shirou? That you?"

Shirou turned around to greet whoever it was. What he saw standing behind him made him spit the water he was currently drinking all over the place. "A-Ar-Ar..." He couldn't call the person's name without stuttering.

Behind him stood Arcueid rubbing her drooping crimson eyes, her golden hair was messy and a few strands stood out on end. What was vexing however was what she was wearing, that was to say almost nothing at all. The only clothing Arcueid had on was a white button down shirt that was completely open save for a single button near the bottom which was hooked. Her bountiful chest was halfway revealed, as were her pure white underwear and her smooth looking thighs. The blood rushing to Shirou's head at this sight almost made his head explode like a volcano.

"Are you okay? Your face is really red." She said cluelessly and stepped closer.

Shirou couldn't say anything, his jaw would have been on the floor if it could stretch that far, he did however manage to gawk uncontrollably like an idiot. He smacked himself in the face to regain himself. "What the hell are you doing walking around dressed like that?" He whispered in a shaky voice and turned around in his chair so he couldn't see her.

Arcueid tilted her head cluelessly. "I didn't think anyone else would be up. You can't get mad at me anyway since you're the same." She said so like she wasn't standing behind him wearing only a shirt.

Shirou took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Do you know what time it is?"

Arcueid thought for a moment, as if she was expecting the answer to just come to her just by thinking about it. "It's just after five thirty in the morning. I guess I was so excited about the trip today that I woke myself up early." She shrugged causing one of the shoulders of her too-large shirt to slip off.

"So why are YOU running around half naked now that you've scolded me?" Shirou couldn't see it, but she'd placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward.

"I removed my bandages that were on all night, the air felt so good on my chest I figured I'd eat out here when nobody was around." Shirou answered.

"Sakura and the others missed you at dinner you know. I think that Aiah girl was looking forward to it the most." Arcueid said as she went behind the bar to get some water. "Which is funny, because I remember Saber going back to your room to get you."

"She did?" That brought up another question as to why she didn't wake him up.

"Yeah, she said you looked too peaceful sleeping so she just left you." Arcueid said curtly.

A blush spread across Shirou's face.

"Honestly, you're just like Shiki sometimes." Arcueid sighed and took a sip from her glass.

The fiasco had robbed Shirou of his appetite dispite only eating about half the bowl of rice. "Hey Arcueid, you hungry?"

Arcueid nodded excitedly.

"You can have the rest of this rice if you want it. I'm leaving."

"Aww, you don't want to stay here with me?" Arcueid pouted.

"Sorry, but I think if I did that my head would explode. Try to refrain from more of these walks alright?" Shirou said with a smile without looking back as he stood up from his chair and began walking down the hallway.

"You're no fun at all." Arcueid huffed as she sat down in Shirou's place and began to munch on the rice he'd left for her.

If Arcueid's internal clock was right, he still had quite awhile before everyone started to wake up, it felt nice to be walking around with nothing to do so he might as well explore the compound a bit. After all, what were the chances he'd run into somebody else that was up at this hour? With that in mind he turned into the corridor in the opposite direction of his room. his feet pattering loudly on the stone floor. As quiet as the place now was any noise that was made sounded like a gong being smacked with a sledgehammer.

Shirou walked aimlessly around the Agency Headquarters turning into random corridors, it was quite boring since there wasn't anything going on yet so he decided to turn back and head into the direction of his room after a few minutes. Twisting and turning into the many corridors lined with doors he made it back into familiar territory, he was about halfway back to his room when a door to his left opened slowly. He hurried along, not wanting to meet another naked person so early in the morning.

"W-Wait! Senpai is that you?" Only one person he knew called him that, a voice belonging to a person he simply couldn't ignore not matter how hard he tried.

Shirou turned around to find Sakura who was thankfully fully dressed enter the hallway, closing the door to her room behind her. "Senpai what are you doing here?" She asked curiously when she verified it was him. "Where is your shirt?" She was certainly full of questions this morning.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later but I have to go back and get dressed." He didn't really want to stand around talking to her without a shirt so at his last words he turned and ran off. He thought he heard her mumble something about the way he looked as he ran off.

He reached the safety of his room, finding that Saber was still sleeping peacefully, finding his t-shirt on the bed he slipped it on. He began to pack the duffel bag he'd bought with Shiki along with the other few essentials he'd bought for the beach trip, towels, sunscreen, normal things. When was the last time he did something "normal"? Shirou couldn't remember. It wasn't long before Shirou finished packing, he didn't carry much after all. He knew they would be traveling a lot upon leaving Fuyuki so he wanted to travel light. Shirou then headed into the bathroom, undressed and stepped into the shower.

It wasn't long after that Saber's eyes fluttered open, arching her back and stretching with a yawn she sat up. Hearing the shower on she deduced that Shirou was already awake, on the floor she saw the bandages that had been around Shiru's torso had been nonchalontly tossed in the trash can. She also noticed that the bowl of rice she'd brought back for him was gone. She listened the the shower, thinking about what Rin had pulled her away to talk to her about the day before.

"_You need to step up your relationship with Shirou. How can you say that you two haven't confessed to each other?"_

_"But Rin, that's..."_

_"Don't worry, just leave everything to me once we get there. Until then you need to be more assertive with him." _

She talked to Saber for hours after that, giving her all kinds of tips and advice.

"Hm... perhaps Rin is correct." She said to herself.

Shirou came out of the shower, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt his hair still holding tiny dropplets of water. "Morning Saber. Did I wake you up?" He asked.

Saber yawned. "No, I'm surprised to see you awake so early though. You must have been exhausted last night." She smiled.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, a lot's happened."

"Yes, everyone else should be getting up soon though I imagine Rin will be one of the last ones." Rin wasn't exactly a morning person so she tended to sleep in unless she absolutley had to get up for something. Rin in the morning closely resembled a zombie in a horror movie.

"Well I know for a fact that at least Arcueid and Sakura are awake. I saw them both earlier when I was walking around."

Saber and Shirou continued to talk for awhile, filling each other in on what the other missed the previous evening. Saber however, did not tell Shirou about the advice that was given to her by Rin. The time passed quickly and soon they figured the two of them should leave the room and see if anyone else was up. Shirou had seen Sakura so she may be cooking breakfast by now. Since he'd missed dinner the least he could do was eat breakfast with everyone, he hadn't been able to eat as much as he wanted earlier due to being interupted by Arcueid.

The two of them were greeted by everyone sitting around the tables waiting for Sakura to finish cooking, unfortunately Rider was helping her out so there was no need for Shirou to lend his assistance. Come to think of it, it was the first time he'd seen her cooking with Sakura. Rider normally spent most of her time lounging around reading, but Shirou guessed that Narbareck had been keeping her pretty busy lately.

"I heard you fell asleep before dinner yesterday Shirou. You didn't make Saber pack your things for you did you?" Rin said with a yawn. It appeared that she still wasn't awake yet dispite looking like she normally does. It was nice to see that she at least did her hair before coming to breakfast, though Rin rarely ate breakfast. Shirou has had many arguements with her about this saying that it would be better for her figure if she ate. "You're officially not allowed to talk to me about skipping meals anymore." She added with a smirk.

"Your circumstances are different from mine." Shirou narrowed his eyes angrily at Rin. It seemed that he wasn't immune to her torments even in the morning.

At that moment Rider came to the table with breakfast, greeting Shirou with a faint smile followed closely by Sakura. Everyone ate quickly eager to get on with the day. According to Narbareck their flight would leave at ten thirty in the morning so that didn't leave them much time for talking. After a quick breakfast everbody was eager to leave, Narbareck herself would not be going, after all somebody needed to run the Agency and she wasn't in a position to take a vacation with everything that was going on. Shirou felt the same though he'd never admit it. Everyone else was so looking forward to it that he didn't want to ruin their fun so he just left the table as everybody else returned to their rooms to retrieve their things.

Soon they'd been given a ride to the airport and were on board the flight to their destination, after some exchanging of tickets so everybody could sit where they want they were firmly in their seats and eager to start their journey to the massive island of a volcano that is Hawaii.

"This is going to be great!" Sakura exclaimed excitedly, her eyes were aglow to prove how excited she was.

"Yeah definately! I can't remember the last time I went to a beach." Aiah seemed just as excited as Sakura was.

Shirou looked over his shoulder at the unusually quiet Arcueid and saw that she'd fallen asleep against Shiki's shoulder. "That didn't take her long." Shirou said with a grin.

"She's not used to being up this early. Back home in Misaki she always slept until school was that." Shiki replied.

"She's pretty deceptive like that, she looks almost harmless." Shirou commented as he looked at Arcueid's peaceful face.

Shiki laughed. "I know right? I say the exact same thing." Dispite Shiki's laugher, the sleeping princess didn't even stir. Shirou guessed she must be a rather heavy sleeper.

The plane began to lurch foward as it began to take off and soon they were climbing high into the air, off to their warm and sunny destination. Saber had the window seat this time, so Shirou was stuck on the outside. However on the other hand, the position made it easier to speak to everyone.

"It's nice to be finally taking a vacation together is it not?" Saber asked.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah it is, it's been a long time since we've been able to really relax."

"Perhaps we will finally be able to get some time to ourselves." She said hopefully and leaned her head against his shoulder.

A small blush crossed Shirou's face, he reached over and placed his hand over hers, lacing his fingers between hers. "Yeah, that would be nice." Shirou's heart was pounding in his chest, making him feel warm and fuzzy all over. Saber normally didn't do things like this since she was usually very shy in these kinds of situations unless they were alone. Perhaps she was finally getting over it.

Shirou didn't see it, but from the isle across from them Rin gave Saber a smile and a thumbs up. She had taken it upon herself to make sure that the two of them got closer on their vacation. Saber didn't know what her motivation for this particular action was, in fact she wasn't even sure if Rin herself knew. Even so she seemed pretty enthusiastic about it.

"Shirou, I heard about what went on this morning from Arcueid. You should be more careful you know." Rin said with a smirk, knowing full well that Saber didn't know about the incident and she'd probably ask out of curiosity.

"Senpai is cute when he's embarassed." Sakura giggled.

"What are you two talking about? Did something happen this morning?" Saber took the bait and Rin's eyes lit up like a christmas tree.

"It seems Arcueid stumbled upon Shirou earlier this morning when he woke up. Arcueid wasn't wearing anything but underwear and a shirt at the time." Shirou ignored Rin and began to flip through one of the magazines in the seat pockets in front of him. "Shirou was also walking around without a shirt." Rin added with a smirk.

"I also saw Senpai after he left Arcueid. He was so embarassed when he saw me he ran off." Sakura giggled cutely again. Shirou didn't know how Rin managed to bribe Sakura to play along with her but the combination of the two in this situation was more than Shirou could handle. What's more they were trapped in a plane so he had no higher ground to run to, and no excuses he could make to get out of the situation.

"Shirou is that true?" Saber hadn't seen him get up or come back, and she certainly didn't see him without his shirt.

"No one else was supposed to be awake at that time. Frankly I'm amazed that I ran into as many people as I did." All he wanted was a quiet plane ride with Saber and to forget about the fiasco in the morning. But it seemed that the Devil herself wouldn't allow him any peace at all.

Saber made a dissapointed pouting face and slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms. She was more upset that she didn't get to see how Shirou looked than the fact he'd practically seen Arcueid naked.

Rin knew this wouldn't ruin their relationship, in fact it would most likely bring them closer. Fights tend to do that in relationships sometimes. She gave a triumphant smirk and then turned to talk to Aiah about her hometown and how the Clock Tower was faring without her.

The rest of the plane ride went quietly until the plane started it's decent. Everyone looked excitedly out their windows, eagerly waiting for the plane to decend out of the clouds.

"Shirou look! It's beautiful." Saber said with a wide smile.

Shirou leaned over Saber and looked out the window with her. Below them was the clear blue water of the Pacific Ocean. Many boats could be seen near the coast of the island of Oahu and even more out to sea. "Wow." Shirou's breath was taken away. Never before had he seen a more beautiful place. The beachest stretched across most of the city's edge. The city of Honolulu was below them as well as the long stretch of Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki. The water was so clear Shirou could see a school of dolphins swimming directly below the plane.

The entire group was in awe as the neared the Honolulu International Airport, the view from the plane itself was well worth the trip. But soon the skyscrapers drew closer and closer until the plane jerked onto it's runway for the landing. Right away upon exiting the plane there was a group of dancing women in grass skirts with naught to cover their chests but coconuts. As the other passengers passed them the women greeted them and placed a necklace of colorful flowers around their necks.

"I've always wanted to get leid!" Shiki exclaimed excitedly as he walked next to Arcueid.

"But Shiki, didn't we just-" Arcueid was about to say something completely wrong if Shiki hadn't stopped her.

"That's different Arc!" Shiki said with a red face and removed his hand from her mouth.

After Arcueid had been silenced the group passed by the dancing girls and got flowers placed around each of their necks. Saber looked at hers curiously and even smelled them. Satisfied, she continued walking next to Shirou.

A local in a suit was standing with a sign where the taxis were. There were many people like this but this one in particular stood out because on it's sign there was no name but simply read "Counter Force". Upon seeing the group he walked towards Shirou and held out his hand. "Narbareck sent word you guys are to be well taken care of. Aloha, E komo mai. Welcome to Honolulu. Come this way please we have a van waiting for you." The man began to lead them outside.

"What's with the sign?" Shirou asked curiously, he'd never heard the term before but it was kind of catchy.

"It's what Narbareck started calling you guys. I guess it stuck." He gave a chuckle and led them to a van where everyone piled in and soon they were off.

The sun was shining brightly and there was even a faint breeze, the windows of the van were rolled down and the smell of the ocean filled Shirou's nostrils. If you looked through the buildings you could see the ocean. "You guys are lucky, you get to stay in a beautiful resort right next to Kahanamoku beach. I'm pretty envious here."

"But you live here right? You get to see this whenever you want." Shiki piped in.

"That I do brah, but there's barely any time for it these days." He said solemly and pulled into the hotel. "This be it, you kids have a good time. The name is 'Akuai, call me if you need anything eh?" After handing them a card with his personal number on it he helped them get their bags out of the back and set them on the ground. The hotel could be considered a skyscraper in and of itself, it was very tall and had a pool out back. Which Shirou considered odd since the ocean was no more than 100 yards away.

"The air here smells wonderful. I have not been to the ocean in quite some time." Rider said as she retrieved her bag.

"It's really refreshing." Sakura agreed.

"Alright, let's hit the beach after we check into our rooms! There's plenty of sunlight left!" Arcueid exclaimed excitedly, while simultaniously grabbing Shiki's arm and dragging him into the resort. The rest of the group was just as eager as she was so they followed her to the front counter and checked into their rooms, it seemed that Narbareck's long arms ensured that all of them had suites on the same floor right next to each other.

The resort was very fancy, the hallway passed the front desk opened up into a large circular room, the hotel was large so it was natural they'd have a large area for everyone to eat in the mornings. it was empty at the moment but there were bars and closed off rooms where food could be served. In the back of the room was a glass elevator that reached every floor. Everywhere there were fancy fountains, palm trees, and decorative coconuts. Most of the walls had very large plexiglass windows viewing the ocean that was right out back, on the beach there were a lot of people enjoying themselves.

The group piled into the thankfully empty elevator. Rin pressed the button for the 10th floor and the doors slid shut. After the elevator screetched to a halt the doors opened and they went to their respective rooms. Shirou and Saber of course had a room together, Sakura and Rider were to their left, and Rin and Aiah shared a room next to Shiki and Arcueid on the right.

"Let's meet back out here in about five minutes, is that good with everyone?" Rin suggested as she slid her keycard into the vertical slot on the door.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

"Sounds good, Rin."

"Absolutley!"

Everyone was eager to get out and have fun, so they all rushed into their rooms to take stock of things and then quickly prepared to hit the beach. The rooms were very luxurious, complete with a kitchen, refrigerator, and even a smaller refrigerator with alcohol in it. The bed was very soft and out their window they could view the ocean and the beach. Just the view made it well worth it.

Shirou was allowed to change first, he entered the large bathroom and slipped on the new pair of shorts he'd bought. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been swimming. He couldn't wait to feel the sun on his chest, the wind in his hair and his toes in the sand. Shirou exited the bathroom and found Saber sitting on the bed with her things.

"What do you think Saber?" He asked refering to what she thought of his shorts.

"It suits you." She smiled and then got up with her things and entered the bathroom, taking a look back at Shirou who sat down to wait for her. A few moments after she came out wrapped in a towel with a red tint accross her face. Saber normally wore outfits that covered most of her skin, so wearing a bikini must be a new thing for her.

"Ah, Saber you look beautiful." Shirou's eyes lit up when she exited the room.

"Y-You think so? I think it is very revealing however Rin insisted on something like this." She answered nervously.

"Yeah, it suits you perfectly. Shall we go?" Shirou smiled, everyone should be waiting by now and they'd probably leave without the two of them if they took too long.

A knock came at the door, Shirou opened it to find Rin standing there with an annoyed expression. "You two take too long. Come on let's go!" She grabbed Saber by the hand and dragged her out of the room with Shirou following close behind. It seemed that everyone had changed already, Shiki was holding a large beach ball under his arm and wearing a pair of blue shorts with a white tie in the front. Rin's red bikini stood out as very bright while Rider's and Sakura's seemed to blend in, though Sakura herself made it stand out.

"Let's go!" Aiah and Arcueid said enthusiastically. Aiah had chosen a red one-piece that almost resembled a school swimsuit which oddly enough suits her short stature. Everyone roared out excitedly in unison and they all ran for the door, happily clutching towels in their hands. Rin towed along a reluctant and embarassed looking Saber who occasionally cast glances back at Shirou. The day had only just begun, next comes the excitement of Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki which was only a short walk out the back of the hotel.


	23. Kahanamoku Showdown

ACT XXIII - Kahanamoku Showdown

The sun burned brightly in Shirou's eyes as it reflected off the beautiful ocean in front of him. Saber stuck behind with him while the others ran enthusiastically towards the beach to pick their respective spots to set their things. The sand was hot, but it felt so good between Shirou's toes that he could care less about the temperture. There were volleyball nets set up around the beach for public use and it looked like the majority of them were being used. He noticed the locals at the beach giving their group quite the look, it didn't really surprise him however as all the women in the group were very beautiful to anyone's standards.

"Shirou, there is something I've been meaning to tell you." Saber had an embarassed look on her face, her cheeks tinted a slight shade of red as her emerald eyes looked down towards the sand.

"What is it Saber?"

"I... um. That is to say..." She stumbled upon her words nervously.

"Saber, whatever it is you can tell me about it." Shirou gave her a reasuring smile, which seemed to return her strength and Saber took a cleansing breath.

"What I was trying to say was that I cannot swim." She fidgeted cutely and looked up at him.

"Ah, I should have realized. Not many people from your day and age could."

"Yes. Anyone who could swim would have been branded as a witch. But seeing as times have changed I... I would like it if you taught me."

Shirou smiled and his heart soared, she was so cute when she acted embarassed like that. "I'd love to!"

"Oy! What are you two doing over there?" Rin's voice traveled across the beach to where Shirou and Saber were standing. Rin held up a bottle of suntan lotion. "Shirou, come over here and help me out with this." She called to him.

Shirou scratched the back of his head. "Alright, alright. Give me a second Rin." He turned his attention back to Saber. "You should go put some of it on too, we're going to be here all day and it won't be good if you get a sunburn."

Saber nodded. "I have never had one, but I'll trust your judgement and go borrow some of Sakura's." The two of them parted ways. Shirou heading over to where Rin had set up her ideal spot on the beach, and Saber heading towards where Sakura and Rider were happily sunbathing. Meanwhile Shiki, Arcueid, and Aiah had ran for the ocean and were now hitting a beach ball back and forth towards one another.

"It's about time Shirou." Rin tossed him the bottle of suntan lotion and proceded to lay down on the bright red beach towel she'd brought along. She then unfastened the back of her top and laid flat. "Be gentle with me." She joked with a smirk.

Shirou's face turned red. "Shut up. Why'd you ask me to do this anyway? You could have easily asked another girl to do it." Shirou squeezed some of the lotion on his hand and began to spread it slowly over Rin's back.

Rin squirmed a little when his hand came into contact with her. "Ah! It's cold." She exclaimed. "It's no fun if I ask another girl to do it, and I don't know Tohno-kun that well." She rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure it isn't just because you wanted me to?" Shirou grinned.

Rin's face turned red and she turned her head to glare menacingly at Shirou. "I-Idiot, it's not that I wanted you to or anything. It's hard for me to reach back there." She scoffed and turned her head back forward.

Shirou smirked triumphantly and finished rubbing the lotion into Rin's back. "Hey, what are you doing!" She squirmed as she felt Shirou tugging on the clasps of her top.

"I'm hooking it for you, relax Rin." Even through Rin's violent protesting he was able to fasten her top back on. He stood up only to have a distraught and angry looking Rin looking up at him.

"Thanks..." She muttered before laying back down.

Shirou left Rin to go and check on Saber. He found her a little ways away getting lotion rubbed into her back by Sakura. Saber greeted him with a warm smile, as did Sakura and Rider who was sunbathing while reading a book.

"Here Shirou, sit down. Sakura is about done so I thought I would put some on you." She said and offered Shirou a seat in front of her.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Saber." Shirou took a seat in front of her and a few seconds later he felt the sensation of something very cold touching his back, making Shirou shiver slightly. Then to Shirou's surprise Saber's arms slinked around and began to rub the lotion into his chest and torso. "Ah, Saber what are you doing?" He asked as he looked down at her hands running over his chest.

"I do not want you to get a sunburn either. I asked Sakura about them and she said that they can be painful." Saber said as she began rubbing the lotion into his shoulders. In reality however, she was following Rin's advice and trying to be more assertive with him.

Shirou's heart had been pounding in his chest the entire time and thankfully Saber finished not too long after that. Sakura just looking at them curiously, she frowned to herself wishing that she could have done that to Shirou as well.

"Thanks Saber."

"It was my pleasure. Now come, I am eager to learn how to swim." She stood up and grabbed Shirou's hand, jogging happily with him in tow towards the ocean.

Shirou didn't understand her enthusiasm, but he was happy because this was the first time he would be able to teach her something. She led him into the warm waters of the Pacific and looked at him eagerly.

"First you need to get used to being in the water. Let your legs raise up and lay on your stomach." Shirou instructed as the small waves bumped into his body.

"Eh? Won't I sink?" Saber asked nervously, despite all her efforts before hand it seemed that once she got out in the water she was becoming nervous again.

Shirou found it cute that she was able to stand up to impossible enemies with no fear and the assurance of victory in her mind, however the simple task of learning how to swim made her nervous. He couldn't help but smile at the thought. "No you won't, because I'll be holding you up." He reassured her.

Saber looked down at the sparkling clear water. She should think of this as training for a battle. Yes, that's it. That's all this was, a battle. Thinking this way, made her feel a bit better and she did as she was told. Her feet lifted off the sandy floor and she began to float, soon feeling Shirou's comforting hands on her torso holding her up. The waves licked at her back, sending a brief warm sensation trembling across her body. It wasn't nearly as bad as she'd previously thought if she kept her head above the water.

"Alright, now kick your feet."

Saber did as she was told and began to kick her feet frantically, the force of which made her jerk forward ever so slightly, unexpectadly sending the very tips of Shirou's fingers into the brim of the bottom half of Saber's bikini. "Kyaa!" Saber yelped, clearly not expecting that to happen she instinctively pushed herself away from Shirou. She threw her arms around Shirou's torso and looked up at him with a deeply red face. "Sh-Shirou... please be careful of where you are touching." She said with embarassment as she pressed her cheek to his body.

"S-Sorry about that. Give me your hands, we'll do it differently." He said with a face just as red as Saber's.

After the embarassing incident, Saber began to learn quite quickly and soon she was swimming (albiet clumsily at first) without Shirou's assistance. It was almost unbearably adorable to watch, and Shirou cheered her on and encouraged her as she swam around though she never went that far from Shirou's side. Shirou peeled his eyes away from Saber long enough to look at the beach behind him to see what everyone else was up to. It seemed that Shiki, Arcueid, and Aiah were talking to Rin about something which Shirou couldn't hear.

Rin nodded and jumped up from the ground and walked with the three of them, heading to where Sakura and Rider were laying. Sakura looked enthusastic at whatever it was they were talking about, Rider seemed reluctant at first but she cracked a faint smile after what looked like Arcueid explaining something to her.

"Hey you two! Come over here a minute!" Shiki waved and called to him and Saber.

Saber looked up as he called and stood up in the shallow water. "We should go and see what he wants."

"Yeah, looks like they're talking to everyone. I bet Arcueid will throw a fit if we don't." Shirou sighed and began to make his way over to the rest of the group. Arcueid was holding a volleyball in her arms, Shirou hoped it wasn't about that. As much as he'd love to see all the girls playing in their swimwear he himself did not particularly want to play.

What they wanted to talk about, was indeed about the volleyball.

Aiah explained that she noticed a net that wasn't being used not too far down the beach and that she'd always loved playing the game. "Also, there are eight of us so we could have even teams." She explained with a bright smile.

Great. Shirou realized they all relied on him and if he didn't play neither could they, so he felt like he had to agree whether he wanted to play or not. Aiah began explaining the game to everyone who didn't know how to play as they made their way over to the field. Saber seemed interested as her face showed that she was listening intently, maybe it was just because she was always one to accept a competition but she looked very determined.

The group reached the field and split up into teams after a game of rock, paper, scissors. It would be four on four. Shirou was teamed with Shiki, Rider, and Rin while the other team was Aiah, Sakura, Saber, and Arcueid.

"Alright Rider, you'd better prepare yourself. I won't show you any mercy." Sakura giggled as her competitive spirit kicked in. The game should be good as all of them were pretty athletic with the exception of Shiki who never really could do much of that because of his anemia. Even if he wanted to, Akiha probably would not have allowed it.

"This would be a lot more fun if we had more guys." Shirou muttered. If they did, it would have undoubtedly lead to a guys vs. girls match which were always very very fun.

"What are you talking about? This is any man's dream, there are only two of us which means the ratio is completely in our favor." Shiki grinned.

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "You're quite the pervert, aren't you Shiki?"

"Nah, I've just learned to appreciate the finer things in life. You never know when you might drop dead right?" Shiki grinned.

"Uh huh. And what does Akiha think about your way of thinking?" Shirou pulled out Shiki's sister, that usually stopped his thinking right where it was.

"Uwa, I don't even want to think about that." Just as Shirou expected.

"Whenever you two are done over there, I want to hurry up and beat these guys already. Your serve Shirou." Rin threw the ball at Shirou who caught it.

"Alright, alright. I'm doing it." The moment he caught the ball everyone's eyes turned to him, or rather the ball in his hands. It had been some time since he'd played volleyball but he was pretty confident he could still play decently.

"Do not hold back Shirou, because I will not." Saber said from across the net.

Shirou nodded to her and readied himself, bringing his arm back he smacked the hard bone where the hand meets the wrist into the ball sending it screaming into the sky until it could no longer be seen.

"Whoa..." Shiki muttered in amazement. Everyone stood and stared up at the sky for about three seconds, waiting to see if the ball would come back down but it wouldn't.

"Shirou, what the hell was that?" Rin yelled angrily, if Shirou had broken the ball or smashed it into oblivion then they wouldn't able to play anymore. If they couldn't play then Rin couldn't beat the opposite team, and it was Shirou's fault.

Shirou laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. Guess I need to learn better control."

"Wait a minute... I see it!" Arcueid was looking up into the clear blue sky and sure enough a speck could be seen screaming back to Earth.

"Get ready everyone!" Aiah said enthusiastically, she was amazed at the strength that Shirou just showed but now wasn't the time she had a game to play.

A whistling sound could be heard, almost like an atom bomb falling to the ground. As it grew closer Arcueid grew a triumphant smirk on her face. "It's mine! I've got it!" She positioned herself to intercept the ball. "Guk!" But she was a little off. The ball slammed into her forehead and bounced off into the sand, dropping Arcueid like a sack of bricks.

It was at that moment that Shiki doubled over in laughter. "Ahahahahahahaha, Shirou that was amazing." The girls rushed to Arcuied's aid and Shirou looked worried.

"Shiki, aren't you even a little bit worried?" Shirou started to make his way over to Arcueid's seemingly unconcious body. She wasn't moving.

"You've obviously never seen her fight with Ciel. She'll be up and around in three... two... one." Shiki counted down on his fingers.

As if on cue Arcueid opened up her eyes and sat up rubbing her head. "Ouch..."

"Are you alright, Arcueid?"

"That looked like it hurt, you okay?"

"Are you injured, Arcueid?"

Arcueid stood up and the girls backed away from her. Arcueid shrugged the hit off like it was nothing. "Don't think you can take me out of the game like that!" She pointed menacingly at Shirou.

"I told you didn't I?" Shiki said with a smirk.

The girls cheered at her revival and took retook their positions after throwing Shirou the ball again.

"Shirou, please try not to blugeon anyone to death this time." Rider said rather bluntly.

"Yeah, I think I got it now." Shirou brought his arm back and very gently bumped the ball with his wrist, sending it over the net and starting the game in a better fashion than the last time.

The ball went straight to Saber, who copied the movement that was explained to her by Aiah. She bumped the ball with both hands, sending it over to Sakura who sent it over the net. Rider rather gracefully stepped forward and sent the ball back over the net with one strike in Arcueid's direction. Arcueid smacked the ball back over with an overhand motion sending it towards Shirou.

"Rin!" Shirou called her name to get her attention, she nodded instantly understanding what he was planning. Shirou bumped the ball high into the air. Rin cracked a grin and once the ball was at the perfect hight she jumped into the air and spiked it, a loud smack filled the air and the ball hit the sand just barely on the other side of the net not leaving anyone enough time to defend.

Rin's feet touched the ground after the spike and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Don't underestimate me!" She shouted with a triumphant smile.

"Nice one Tohsaka-san!" Shiki congratulated her.

"Good spike, Rin." Rider said.

Rin gave the team a thumbs up and Aiah who had picked up the ball was forced to throw it back to Shirou.

"That was amazing Nee-san!" Sakura exclaimed as well. Despite still being competative she took no sides, she truly was a nice person.

Shirou served the ball again. Everyone's enthusiasm seemed to be getting to him and now even he didn't want to lose to the other side. This time the ball bounced from Sakura, to Shiki, to Rider, to Saber, back to Rider, to Arcueid, and then to Rin. This time it was taking a long time, Shirou sort of expected this being that their group consisted of Magi, Servants, a Vampire, an assassin, and a Counter Guardian. The Magi were the only ones that had humanlike reflexes but even so they were holding themselves pretty well.

The game went on for awhile and after the first half hour they had drawn a little bit of a crowd. The other people on the beach started to watch their game with interest, even going as far as to just stand at the water's edge to get a good look at them. However the game went on, and another hour later it was Arcueid's team set to serve for the winning point. somehow they'd managed to just barely keep ahead by trading points with Shirou's team.

Everyone was starting to get a little bit tired and the refreshing ocean was just a few steps away. Sweat rolled down everyone's body, including those of the fans that they'd somehow obtained.

"Alright. Game point!" Arcueid said proudly, throwing the ball up into the air and smacking it with an overhand motion over the net towards Rider. Rider bumped it to Rin who attempted another spike, however it was deflected by Saber towards Sakura who bumped it back over the net. Shiki bumped it to Shirou who smacked it back over. The ball soared as if in slow motion towards the corner of their side of the field, Saber saw it and dived for the ball. However she was just short and it slipped against the tips of her fingers and fell in bounds right in front of Saber.

"Yeah!" Shirou jumped triumphantly into the air, Rin gave him a thumbs up and Rider nodded with a smile. They'd succeeding in tieing the game. Now all that was left was to score the winning point.

"It's not over yet!" Aiah pouted.

"If you're feeling that confident Cromwell-san, then maybe we should stake a bet." Rin smirked.

"Losing team buys the other drinks?" Aiah suggested menacingly.

"We accept your challenge. Rest assured I won't go easy on you." With drinks at stake Rider would indeed be playing her best.

"Alright Shirou, no mercy." Rin said seriously.

"Right." Shirou nodded.

"Game point!" Shirou served.

The ball went into the middle of the group on the other side of the net. Aiah stepped foward and bumped it to Saber who knocked it across the net. Rin stepped up and bounced the ball to Rider who jumped into the air and spiked it. Saber dove forward in the nick of time and bumped the ball towards Arcueid before getting back up on her feet. Arcueid had to jump to the side and bump the ball across the net which Shirou sent right back. They traded blows for a few more rounds.

"Hey, Shiki." Shirou turned to him with a grin like he had a brilliant idea.

The ball came over the net which Rin sent back.

"What's up, Shirou?" He answered curiously.

The ball came from back over the net towards Rider which she bumped to Shirou who sent it back over the net.

"This is going to go on forever. Let's end this right here. You and me."

"What do you have in mind?"

Shirou mouthed something to him and Shiki's eyes lit up.

"I guess it can't be helped. We'll have to use... THAT." Shiki sent the ball back over the fence that came to him.

"Yes. THAT." Shirou grinned.

The ball came over to Rider who bumped it to Shirou. Perfect.

"Get ready, Shiki!" He bumped the ball high into the air, setting Shiki up for a spike.

Arcueid approached the net, ready to defend agains the oncoming spike. Shiki smacked the ball sending it towards Arcuied who was knocked on her backside by the force of the ball, however she managed to bump it back. That was Shirou's cue.

Shirou ran forward and jumping into the air not a second after Shiki had hit the ground. "Double Spike Combo!" Shirou spiked the ball, sending it slamming into the sand next to Arcueid with such force that it looked like somebody had set off an M80 explosive under the sand. The crowd roared as Shirou's feet hit the ground. Shiki and Shirou both started smiling triumphantly.

"And that's how it's done." Shiki stuck out a clenched fist.

"Of course." Shirou bumped Shiki's knuckles with his own.

"Nice work you two! If we lost, I would have had to switch your suntan lotion with cooking oil." Rin said with a seemingly innocent smile.

"I wouldn't put that passed you, Rin." Shirou joked.

Dispite his joke, Rin looked offended. "Hey, what kind of person do you think I am. I was only joking." She crossed her arms. Now that the game was over, the crowd started to disperse back to what they'd been doing beforehand and the defeated girls came over to congratulate Shirou's team on their victory. Of course now that meant they had to buy drinks for them.

However for now they were all hot and needed to cool off so the eight of them just ran towards the ocean like kids getting out of school for the summer. Dispite his previous uninterest, Shirou was starting to have the most fun he'd had in many years. He'd almost completely forgot his mission, and everything else that happened. It was only because of his that he was able to enjoy himself. The beach seemed to relieve everyones anxiety as everyone looked like they were having a good time splashing about in the water.

They all made plans to have a gathering in Rin's and Aiah's room for an old fashioned sleep-over, of course with the members of the losing team providing the alcohol, but there was still at least a couple more hours of sunlight so they decided to enjoy it while they could. Shiki got into wrestling in the water with Shirou, while the girls ran about and splashed each other with the sparkling water of the Pacific Ocean. Even Saber and Rider had large smiles on their faces as they ran laughing in the waning sunlight. Tough tirals lay ahead for the eight of them, but for now at least they were nothing more than eight people enjoying the beautiful scenery and each other's company.


	24. A Moonlit Walk

ACT XXIV - A Moonlit Walk

As the sun started to set the eight of them left to beach and returned to their rooms, everyone's skin was slightly more brown from being in the sun all day but thankfully no one was burned. Shirou decided he sould clean himself up before he went over to Rin's with everyone else.

"Saber, I'm using the shower now alright?" Shirou asked Saber, who was over by the bed getting out a fresh towel.

She looked up and nodded. "Yes, please go ahead."

Shirou grabbed a change of clothes and a towel from the small bag he'd brought with him and headed into the bathroom, turning on the water and stepping into the shower. The steam cleared his head, he couldn't help but think about everything that was going on. Trhvmn was alive, something deep in his gut told him so. The same feeling also told him he should keep a close watch on Aiah. However perhaps he was wrong about everything, he could just be being paranoid about Aiah. After all Trhvmn did say that there were pleny of other Magi in the world, he was certainly right about that.

Shirou clucked his tongue in annoyance. "What am I thinking about? It doesn't matter who it is." He had to save anyone if they were caught by the Ancestors no matter who they were.

A soft knock came at the door. "Shirou... I'm coming in." Then came the sound of the door opening. Saber stepped into the steamy room with a red face.

"..." Shirou's words were trapped in his throat, and every breath he took felt heavy. Saber stood in front of him wrapped in nothing but a towel, the very towel he'd seen her get out. It made him wonder if she'd been planning this. He'd seen her many times before, even wearing nothing at all. However it didn't matter, she always managed something that would take his breath away. It was something about her he couldn't explain with mere human words. In the steamy room she almost didn't look real.

"Shirou, would you like me to wash your back?" She asked hopefully.

Shirou gulped and let out a deep breath. "I-Idiot. Like I'm going to say no after you went this far." He said with a face about the same color as a cooked lobster.

Saber cracked a smile, peeled the towel away from her body and stepped into the shower behind Shirou. He never thought she'd do something like this, however he wasn't about to complain or protest. He welcomed some attention of this sort from her, even if she hadn't quite been herself lately. As expected, Saber's hands were smooth and felt like silk as they ran down his back.

"I've never noticed before, but your back is very well toned." Her tone of voice had dropped, as if she was admiring it.

Shirou wasn't quite sure what he should say. She was touching him with such care and love it made it hard to form any words at all. Lately they hadn't gotten to spend much time alone except at night, so perhaps it was all her pent up emotions flowing over a little. After Saber was finished, Shirou turned around to face her.

"Now I'll return the favor by washing you as well." Shirou said after he took a breath, seeing her in this context was almost too much for him and he had to force everything he said.

Saber smiled. "Yes. Please do." She turned and bared her back to him.

Her skin was pale, and smooth as silk. The droplets of water shining on her body almost made her look like something more than human, like an angel. Shirou almost laughed when he realized how horribly cliche that sounded. It was another first for Shirou, it had always been a dream of his to do something like this. To take care of somebody he loved. He'd taken care of Sakura on many occasions when she was sick, but that was a different kind of love than what he felt for Saber.

Shirou knew his hands were rough, but Saber didn't seem to mind it. "Hey Saber, let's not go to Rin's tonight." He suggested, if she agreed he began to form a few plans in his head on what to do for the remainder of the evening. He was enjoying this time with her right now, he didn't want it to end quite yet. They probably would not be able to get another opprotunity like this when they got back to the Agency.

Saber nodded with a small smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"Come on then, I have an idea." Shirou smiled and turned the shower off. Now it was his turn to really enjoy himself, he had a good time at the volleyball game but now it was time for a romantic evening with Saber. Tonight he'd confess to her, it was as good a time as any. Who knows when the next time they'd get some down time was.

The two of them stepped out of the shower and dried each other off. "What do you have planned Shirou? You don't often get ideas like this." Saber asked as she finished dressing in her usual white blouse and blue skirt.

"I thought we'd go back to the beach." He answered as he pulled his shoes on. Walking on the beach at night was something that he'd always wanted to do, being with Saber was a definate plus. There were some rocky areas along the beach, perhaps if they looked hard enough they'd find a gave or a grotto.

Saber thought for a moment. In her mind she pictured the same beach lit by daylight now lit by moonlight. It would be extremely beautiful with a night breeze blowing and the moon reflecting off of the shimmering ocean. "It should be beautiful at night." She said as if to herself.

The two of them finished pulling on their clothes and Shirou grabbed Saber's hand and let her out the door, each with a smile on their face.

()()()

"Geez. Where are those two at?" Arcueid said impatiently. The group had already prepared themselves and head over to Rin's and Aiah's room, and were waiting in vain for Saber and Shirou to show up.

Everyone had already changed into suitable nightwear, Rin was sporting a matching set of pale yellow cotton pajamas featuring tiny faces of cats scattered around them. Aiah was wearing a matching set of red (and rather expensive looking) silk pajamas. Arcueid wore her usual sleepwear of a long white button-up shirt, and that was all aside from her white underwear. Rider and Sakura wore matching purple jogging pants and cotton t-shirts. Finally Shiki wore a set of blue satin pajamas purchased for him by Akiha.

"If it's those two, they're probably out on a date." Rin said and crossed her arms as she sat on her bed. Everyone else was sitting in the circle on the floor due to space issues.

"You can never be too sure with Shirou. He can be kind of dense sometimes." Rider commented.

Sakura giggled. "I think he's gotten better over the years. Still I wonder if he realizes just how much he means to me." She finished meaningfully.

"Don't worry Matou-san, he knows. You're a special person to him." Shiki reassured her.

Everyone's eyes turned to Shiki as if they were completely oblivious on how he knew it, since his voice sounded so sincere.

"You sound pretty sure, Tohno-kun." Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Well yeah, I asked him about it the other day and he told me so himself."

Everyone looked surprised like that was something Shirou normally would never say.

"Senpai said something like that?" While she was happy to know that she was indeed important to him, she was dissapointed that he never really told her so himself.

"Now I'm curious as to how you got him to open up to you like that." Rin pondered.

"It's probably because he doesn't know Arc and I that well. It seems strange, but for some reason it's easier to spill your guts to someone you don't know." Shiki's answer seemed to satisfy Rin. Aiah listened silently for most of the conversation as she had little more experience with Shirou than Shiki and Arcueid. She'd only met him briefly in the previous Grail War in which she'd saved his life.

"You've talked with Shriou some haven't you Arcueid-san? What do you think about him?" Aiah finally spoke up and asked.

"He's cute like a puppy, but just as loyal and naive. It's going to be the death of him one day." She answered bluntly.

"You really think he's cute Arc?" Shiki asked.

Arcueid nodded and then smirked. "You jealous, Shiki?" She pinched his cheek and he groaned in protest. "Don't worry, your glasses make you look younger and cuter. You have nothing to worry about."

After releasing his cheek Shiki rubbed it and revealed his blushing face. "Geez, Arc."

"So then do you think I still have a chance with Senpai?" Sakura asked Shiki.

Shiki's eyes dropped and he shook his head. "Unfortunately no. Shirou is in love with Saber-san, but he does consider you a very valuable friend." Sakura lowered her head.

"Ah, but don't worry, he loves you. Just not in the way you want him to." Shiki added in an attempt to cheer her up.

"It feels better just knowing his feelings but..." She started to say sadly and Rider put her hand on Sakura's shoulder to comfort her. "Maybe just being close to him is enough for now." She finished with a sad voice.

"That's right Sakura. If Shirou cares for you as much as Tohno-kun says he does, you shouldn't be sad." Rin added.

"Come on you guys, now's not the time to be gloomy right? We're on vacation! We should enjoy ourselves." Arcueid said enthusiastically pulling a pillow off of the bed. "Cheer up, Sakura-chan!" She yelled and smacked Sakura with the pillow, causing her to squeak and fall over, her violet hair splayed out on the ground.

"Arcueid, that wasn't fair!" Sakura giggled and pulled a pillow off the opposite bed and attacking Arcueid with it, who sidestepped the attack causing Sakura to stumble and hit Aiah in the face instead.

A war broke out between the six of them who'd all grabbed pillows and were now having a free for all. The girls and Shiki were all laughing as they bludgeoned each other with the soft, expensive looking pillows.

()()()

Meanwhile, Saber and Shirou had been walking along the beach together under the moonlight. Neither one of them had said anything for awhile, there didn't seem to be a need to as talking would spoil the mood they were sharing. A calmness was about them, as if a blanket of warmth had wrapped around the two of them, separating them from the rest of the world. They were enjoying each other's company so much that they walked at a slow pace, their feet sinking slightly into the sand. Right now, there was nobody else they could think about besides each other.

A reflection of the moon was mirrored on the ocean's dark blue surface, as a faint light painted the area a pale white color. A cool breeze was blowing in from the sea and the smell of salt water filled their noses. However the scenery paled in comparison to Saber herself. She was wearing such a peaceful face that she seemed to melt seamlessly into the backround like she belonged there. It was like Shirou was staring at a beautiful painting. Her hair swaying side to side as she walked, shimmering slightly as if specked with tiny bits of gold. He felt so surreal and at peace he began to forget about everything, about how Trhvmn might still be alive, and about everything else that was happening.

They were walking towards a small rocky area on the other side of the beach, from a distance it looked like a good enough place to go exploring and it looked like there were plenty of flat surfaces to sit if they so desired. If they got lucky there may even be a cave or grotto they could enter.

Once there, Shirou jumped up on a rather tall rock and then turned around and offered his hand to Saber. "Come on. Up you go." He said as she took it and he pulled her up.

"Shirou, you still have not told me where it is that you're taking me." She asked him once she'd allowed Shirou to assist her.

"Well, I don't even know myself. I guess we're just taking a walk at this point." Shirou grinned.

"I see. I am glad we decided to ditch everyone else tonight." She said as she followed him jumping carefully along the rocky shore. One had to be careful here as it would be easy to slip and break a leg. Some of the sides were covered with slippery algae and more than once Shirou offered to help Saber across. He knew full well that she didn't need help, she was just as nimble on her feet as he was if not more so. However he enjoyed doing it all the same.

"So am I. Though I wouldn't exactly call it ditching them. It's more like escaping really." He said as he looked in the rocky wall for some kind of opening but saw nothing, it was probably too much to hope for. He told himself he'd look awhile longer before heading back to the beach, at least they could lie down and look up at the stars together.

Saber chuckled. "You are right. Though I wonder what everyone is doing without us." The two of them stopped on a large, flat stone surface suitable for standing or even sitting. In fact it was so large that a couple people could probably even sunbathe on it.

"Who knows. But I'll bet you anything Shiki is having the time of his life. I don't know how Arcueid keeps him in check sometimes." Shirou shrugged. An image flashed in Shirou's head of the girls and Shiki sitting around the floor in a circle playing a popular game for sleepovers that involved spinning a bottle, whoever the bottle landed on that was the person that the spinner had to share a kiss with.

He snorted. _As if something like that would happen._

"Shirou? Your ears are extremely red, what are you thinking about?" Saber asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh. It's nothing." He said in embarassment when he realized his face did feel a bit warm.

Saber tilted her head. "You were thinking about something perverted were you not?"

"I-Idiot! Of course not!" He spat out. "Come on, let's go back to the beach." He turned around and started to walk passed her.

"Shirou, wait just a moment please." She reached out and grabbed his hand. Now was a good a time as any, she'd put this off for too long.

He stopped and turned around. "What is it, Saber?" He was met with her looking up at him meaningfully, a slight hue of crimson spread across her face. The air around them became thick and froze.

Her heart began to pound in her chest, it felt like it was beating so hard it could burst out through her ribs. "There is something that I should have said a long time ago."

_Is she doing what I think she is?_

"..." His thought process stopped right there.

"I love you, Shirou. When everything is finished, my wish is to stay by your side." The ocean breeze washed over the two of them, slightly ruffleing their clothing as they stared into each other's eyes. "I have felt this way since the end of the 5th War. I apologize for not telling you sooner but there has not been a proper time." She fidgeted shyly with her hands like a nervous schoolgirl.

He stood silent, completely blown away. He never expected her to say it first, he had planned to do it later that night. It caught him completely offguard. On top of that she looked so unbelievably beautiful standing in front of the ocean with the moon overhead that a weak hearted person might die from heart failure just by looking at her.

"S-Shirou. Why are you not saying anything? I am not sure why, but I find it embarassing when you just stare at me silently like that." She looked down at her feet.

Shirou slapped his cheeks to return himself to his senses. "S-Sorry. I feel the same way, Saber. I've loved you since the first day we met." He stumbled on his words a little. He had thought up a good confession earlier, but now that Saber had confessed to him first his throught process was thrown out the window.

She stepped closer to him and into the warmth of his arms. She leaned her head against his chest and closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his back. She heard the thumping of his heart in his chest and by the sound of it, it was beating just as hard as hers was.

"Saber..." He hugged her tightly and lightly stroked her hair.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her emerald eyes shining as they reflected the moon hovering above them. "Please, call me by my name." Her eyes were almost begging. He'd never called her by her name before, she was his sword so there was no need for him to call her anything else nor had she wanted him to. But that was then, she wanted to hear her name pass through his lips. She wanted to hear what it sounded like to have someone she loved call out her name.

"I love you, Arturia." He brought his lips to hers and the two of them shared a deep, passionate kiss. Her fingers enclosed around the cloth of his T-shirt and gripped it tightly. Her lips were as soft as silk, yet tasted sweet like honey.

A few moments later their lips parted. Saber's eyes fluttered open and the two of them looked at each other lovingly before embracing each other again. They enjoyed each other's warmth for what seemed like an eternity before they parted.

Above their heads flew a strange looking owl, gliding silently through the air as it was made to do. It looked down on the couple from above as if watching them intently. Which is strange because owls don't normally watch humans like that, circling above them on quiet wings.


	25. A Spy Revealed

ACT XXV - A Spy Revealed

The morning light creeped in through the curtains into the room of Shirou and Saber. Both of them still slept soundly as they did not get much sleep the night before. After the beach they had slipped back to their room and had a bath together and then went to bed, staying up until the early hours of the morning. She had fallen asleep laying across his chest and even in his sleep, he refused to let her go with his arms wrapped around her back and feeling the contours of her soft skin.

Saber's eyes opened slowly and lifted her cheek from Shirou's chest and looked down at him. He was sleeping so soundly that it barely looked like he was breathing at all. She yawned softly and stretched her back, arching her back and causing Shirou's arms to slip from their place around it and fall to the mattress.

The movement caused Shirou to stir only slightly.

"Goodness. He must have been more tired than I thought." She whispered to herself. Raising her hand, she brushed the hair away from his forehead and pressed her lips to it. Just when she was about to leave him for the bath something suddenly wrapped themselves around her torso. She squeaked in surprise only to find that it was Shirou's arms.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Shirou loosened his grip so she could move a bit bitter. It was the kiss to his forehead that had finally woke him from his deep sleep.

"Yes, I was not expecting you to surprise me like that." She began to stroke his hair lightly with the tips of her fingers.

Shirou smiled. "Good morning, Saber."

She frowned. "Shirou, did I not tell you last night that you are no longer permitted to call me by that name?"

_Ah, that's right she did. I messed up._ "You're right, old habits die hard. Sorry, Arturia."

She nodded, satisfied with his apology. "As long as you understand. Good morning, Shirou." She greeted him properly.

Shirou rubbed his eyes. "Alright, lets go take a shower." He couldn't tell what time it was, so he figured the two of them may as well get up and see what everyone else was doing. No doubt they'd get a lot of questions about where they were last night, especially from Arcueid who was very impatient and nosy.

Saber frowned slightly. "Very well." She wasn't thrilled about the idea of getting up just yet, she would have been overjoyed if she could stay in bed with Shirou just a bit longer. But she couldn't stay in bed forever as much as she'd like to. Besides they still had one more day in beautiful Hawaii before they had to go back to the Agency, unless of course something came up and they had to go back in an emergency. The phone had been quiet since they'd arrived, so there was no news from Narbareck about a surprise attack of any kind.

The two of them showered and then got dressed without much conversation simply because there wasn't any need for it. They left the room after cleaning up a bit and headed hand-in-hand down the hall towards Rin and Aiah's room. Everyone had slept over there last night, so they should still be there now unless something else happened. Upon reaching the door Shirou knocked.

The door opened to reveal Aiah. "Oh, good morning you two. Did you sleep well?" She smiled warmly. Her energy was through the roof, making Shirou wonder if she was what was known as a 'morning person'.

"Yeah, we did. Is everyone else awake yet?" Shirou asked.

Aiah nodded. "Yes, actually Rin and Arcueid were debating on whether or not just to come and get the two of you so you showed up just in time."

From behind the door Rin's voice could be heard. "Is that Shirou and Saber? Tell them to get in here before they run off again."

Aiah sighed and opened the door to let the two of them in now that they were done chatting in the doorway.

Once the three of them entered the room Rin had a bit of an angry look on her face. "You two. I wish you would have at least told us you were going to have a romantic evening alone." She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Shirou shrugged. "We figured that you all would live without us for one evening. Were you that miserable without us here with you?" He asked.

Rin huffed and crossed her arms, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Of course not, we all had a great time here. I just thought that you would at least let us know if you were planning something." She replied.

"That's just it Rin, we didn't plan it. It was a spur of the moment idea and we ran with it." While Shirou had indeed planned to have a romantic evening with her, he didn't plan on where or what they'd be doing. Everything just sort of fell into place.

"Rin, would you care to inform us how you knew what we were doing?" Saber asked. Rin seemed to be well informed, for all she knew they could have just went out shopping or to see a movie. To say right away exactly what the two of them were doing meant that she did indeed know that they were at the beach last night.

Before she knew it Rin was backed into a corner. Alone they were no problem for her, but when they were together like this it was indeed a formidable challenge. She couldn't let them know that she'd sent a familiar to keep an eye on them last night so she did in fact know everything that went on between the two of them.

"Nee-san, isn't it a little early to be arguing with Senpai?" Sakura, who had been listening until now decided that it was time to stop the argument.

"Matou-san is right, I think. Shouldn't this wait until we've had breakfast at least?" Shiki spoke up next.

Rin sighed and gave up and calmed down a bit. She didn't normally get as angry as that, was there some deep underlying feelings in her anger that she didn't realize? "Alright, you're right." She said after taking a breath.

"Now that that's settled, I say we go out for breakfast. We've yet to have some of the local food." Arcueid suggested and even Saber perked up at the mention of the local food.

After the small fiasco in the hotel room the eight of them found their way out of the hotel and down the street. The way they decided was to just walk along the seaside street, they were bound to run into something eventually, which they did. It was a place that looked rather like an outdoor diner. A small hut in the back where the food was cooked with an authentic straw roof. Palm trees littered about the dining area with the circular tables and wicker chairs. The weather co-operated as well as the sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky, and a cool breeze came in from the sea keeping everyone from getting too hot in the baking sunlight.

Their brekfast mostly consited of fruits like pinapple and mangos. The pinapple was very juicy in Shirou's mouth and had a tiny bit of a sour taste too it, perfectly chilled. He ate slowly and savored the flavor with the thinly sliced bit of ham the fruit came with.

"This is great." Shiki commented between mouthfulls.

"I know! Even the fruit Big Sister keeps around isn't this good." Arcueid said enthusiastically.

"Big Sister? Who's that?" Aiah asked after taking a drink of her orange juice.

"It's how she refers to my sister, Akiha. She thinks it's cute but Akiha hates it." Shiki answered for Arcueid, who currently had her mouth full.

"I think it suits her. She acts just like a Big Sister right?" Arcueid said after swallowing her food.

"She's got a point Shiki. I got the same feeling from Akiha." Shirou agreed.

"You know to tell the truth I agree with both of you. But she doesn't get along too well with Arc and Ciel. I can't take them anywhere without them fighting amongst themselves." He complained.

Rin, Sakura, Rider, and Aiah hadn't met Akiha so they couldn't do much until they started talking amongst themselves about Hawaii itself. For example Rin mentioned she would like to try and learn how to do the local hula dance. Rider wasn't too sure about it but Sakura seemed to think it would be fun.

"No way. I can see Arcueid fighting with Akiha, but Ciel? She's so calm all the time I find it hard to believe she's involved in the fighting." Shirou said in amazement.

"Yes, I have only met Ciel briefly but I was able to come to the same conclusion as Shirou." Saber agreed.

Shiki chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it, but Ciel and Arc go at it pretty hard. It's pretty scary when they get serious."

Arcueid looked disinterested in the conversation and took another bite of her food.

"Hm. I think I would have to see that in person to really believe it." Shirou said and downed the remainder of his breakfast.

"Arcueid, we had a really interesting idea." Sakura leaned over and suggested the hula lessons that the rest of the girls were talking about. They wouldn't have time to learn anything spectacular because they had to leave the next day but it would still be fun to give it a try.

"Alright, let's do it!" Arcueid agreed and then turned towards Saber. "You have to come too Saber-chan. I think you would look really cute in a grass skirt." She added with a smile.

"Is that fine with you, Shirou?" She asked.

He nodded, although unsure why she was asking him. "Yes, as a matter of fact I agree with Arcueid. You would look cute in a grass skirt."

Saber smiled as a blush spread across her face.

After paying for breakfast and getting directions from the man that worked there, they found that there was a dance studio for tourists a mile down the road from where they were. The hotel they were staying at turned out to be pretty convienient, there was pretty much anything you could ever want in mere walking distance from the hotel. The beachfront had all kinds of shops and restaurants as well as the dance studio they were all walking to. They talk amongst themselves about regretting the fact that they'd have to return the next morning, but it had been a nice vacation nontheless. Shirou however, was quite eager to get back to the Agency and check up on how things were going.

"Hey Shiki, what's the deal with Rin today? Did something happen last night?" Shirou asked him as the group walked. The girls walked in a group ahead of them while Shirou and Shiki brought up the rear.

"Ah well, I guess you could say that..." He answered as if something was conflicting in his head. He could predict where this conversation was going, but he wasn't sure if he should tell Shirou everything or not.

"Come to think of it, Sakura seemed to be a little down too. You were with them last night, do you know anything?" He pushed the issue out of concern.

Shiki scratched the back of his head. Shirou would be really really mad if he told him. "Uh, well that's..."

"Shiki." Shirou glared at him.

Shiki sighed. "You didn't hear this from me, alright?" He had to get that out because if Rin found out what he was about to tell Shirou she might kill him, then again Shirou might kill him after he'd found out. Even worse though he didn't want to keep any secrets from Shirou. "Last night when you and Saber never showed up, Tohsaka-san got mad and sent out a familiar to go look for the two of you. We all know you two were on a date because Rin told us."

"I'm gonna kill her." Shirou said menacingly with a clenched fist. He didn't like the idea of being spied on, least of all not by Rin. She was smart enough to know that he and Saber were off doing something on their own, yet she spied on them for a reason unknown to him. She even upset Sakura in the process, his body felt like it was on fire from the anger and he could feel the veins throbbing in his forehead. "What the hell was she thinking!" Shirou hissed.

"Calm down, Shirou. Maybe she was generally worried about the two of you. We don't know what's happened while we've been gone, maybe the vampires have been following us." Shiki suggested.

Shirou clucked his tongue. "I'm not convinced, but I'll let it go now for the sake of the mission and because I don't want to upset Sakura anymore." He decided that now wasn't the time to yell at Rin, and there was also the fact that they were supposed to be enjoying themselves right now. He would find it hard to trust Rin if he went somewhere alone or with Saber from now on. He took a deep breath and let himself calm down a little.

Before he realized it they had arrived at the dancing studio that the man at breakfast had told them about. There were steps leading up to the front door which was on a patio. On the patio there was a tanned woman with long black hair sitting in a rocking chair looking bored, she was very thin and had perfect womanly curves she didn't look that old and Shirou estimated that she couldn't be over 25, when she saw them she lifted her head and smiled. She waited until she was sure the group was coming towards here before standing up to greet them.

"Welcome, my name is Lola. Are the eight of you looking to learn how to dance? As it so happens I get a lot of tourists through here so I'd be glad to show you the basics." She surveyed them and set her eyes on Shirou and Shiki, "I've never taught men before though."

Both of them waved their arms frantically.

"Ah, no we're just here with the girls."

"You've got it wrong, we're not here for that."

Lola grinned. "Alright, well come on in and we'll get you all set up." She opened the door and headed into the studio.

"Alright! Let's go!" Arcueid was as enthusiastic as usual. She grabbed Saber's hand and dragged her inside, Saber glanced back at Shirou as she was dragged inside.

"Come on Sakura. Let's go enjoy ourselves." Rider said and walked inside with her. Sakura only smiled and followed her in.

"Come on you two, you can't pretend you don't want to see this." Rin teased Shiki and Shirou before following Aiah inside.

They looked at each other and Shirou uttered a low growl before heading inside behind Shiki.

Inside the place wasn't much else except one big room with a hardwood floor and a few small changing rooms. The walls were mostly covered with mirrors and there were a few hardwood chairs scattered along the walls, the center of the cieling held a large cieling fan.

"You two can have a seat over there, unless you want to learn how to swing your hips in a girlish fashion." Lola teased and offered Shiki and Shirou seats along the wall which they took after casting a glance at each other and scratching the back of their heads in an almost mirror image of each other. For a dance teacher she wasn't very professional, Shirou figured that was just the kind of person she was. He also bet that she'd get along very well with Rin.

"Now if you girls will wait here, I've got a box of grass skirts in the back." Lola hurried off through a door in the back and soon came back with a large cardboard box. "Luckily they're one-size-fits-all." She said after setting it down.

The girls all looked at each other and picked out skirts, holding them up to their waist to see how they looked.

"You don't have the coconut bras?" Aiah said with a disappointed look on her face.

Lola looked surprised and placed her hand on her hip. "Well we do have them, but you're sure you're alright with those two there?" She asked.

Rin smirked. "We're here so we might as well go all out. Besides it'll be good for those two I think."

"That's the spirit, Nee-san!" Sakura said excitedly.

"Just what part about that is supposed to be good for us!" Shirou said.

"Speak for yourself, Shirou. I'm looking forward to it." Shiki crossed his arms.

"Shiki..." Arcueid glared at him from across the room, making Shiki cringe.

"Ahaha, relax Arc. I'm only joking."

"Alright, well I'll go get the coconuts and you can decide then." Lola hurried off to the back room again, coming back a few seconds later with another box. The box contained halves of coconuts attatched by nothing more than twine.

"Um, Lola-san. I think this may not be enough for the three of us." Sakura said shyly after picking up a set and pushing them to her chest, the halves of fruit barely covered half of the area it's supposed to. As expected of her, Rider, and Arcueid.

"Oh I see." Lola looked impressed. "Here I have a solution." She walked over to Sakura and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, pulled it up and tied it in a knot so it exposed Sakura's midriff. Sakura, Arcueid, and Rider all watched and copied the motions after Lola was finished with Sakura.

Rin frowned at the three of them, huffed and grabbed her own coconuts.

"Alright, get changed. The rooms are back there." She pointed to the changing rooms in the back and the girls filed into them with their skirts in hand. Soon after that an odd air filled the room, it was quiet and Shirou could hear the sounds of the girls removing their clothes.

"So how'd you two end up with all these girls?" Lola leaned against the wall and broke the silence.

"We ended up traveling together because we're looking for the same person." Shirou said without revealing too much.

Lola didn't have time to ask any more questions because the girls started to exit the changing rooms. Rin came out first, the grass skirt she was wearing sank almost to the floor and the coconuts covered her breasts snugly.

"What do you think, Shirou?" Rin smiled and twirled around, her hair swaying with the skirt.

"I think it suits you actually." Rin actually did look pretty good in that outfit, in fact Shirou thought she could fit right in with the locals and not look out of place.

"Hm? You really think so?" She adjusted the skirt slightly so it rested on her hips.

Sakura came out next with her shirt tied in a knot. "You look great, Nee-san." She complimented Rin, who smiled and complimented her back.

Saber was next, she came out shyly with her right arm around her stomach. She must have been embarassed showing it off in front of people which Shirou found adorable. She slid out slowly closing the door of the changing room behind her, her skirt swishing loudly. "Um, Sh-Shirou... do I look strange?" She must have felt she looked weird in that kind of outfit.

"No, you look beautiful Arturia." He answered with a smile. Saber blushed and smiled back. Out of the corner of his eye Shirou saw Rin and Sakura give him a curious look when he called Saber by her name.

Once the other girls were out of the changing rooms Lola had the girls line up on the dance floor. "Alright, move your hips from side to side like this. We'll start slowly." Lola took a breath and stuck her hip out to the left, and then slowly moved it all the way to the right in a single fluid motion. The girls copied her movements as best they could. "Alright, again." Lola instructed, the girls continued to sway their hips back and forth. Lola left her spot in front of the group and surveyed them by walking around them.

She walked behind Sakura and watched her movements. "It's easier if you raise your arms like this." She showed Sakura and the rest of them to raise their arms over their heads and grasp their wrist with one of their hands. Sakura squeaked when Lola put her hands her hips to check her muscle movements. "Haha, sorry. You're pretty good at moving your hips." She said and moved on down the line.

As a man it was troubling for Shirou to watch. He had to keep thinking about other things to keep his brain from melting as it was threatening to do. This went on for about an hour. Lola had them doing various excersices the entire time, gradually speeding up their hip movements and then moving on to bending their backs and arms in fluid motions. Before long the girls's hips were moving as if they were vibrating, their skirts swaying loudly as they jiggled their hips. They had happy looks on their faces, as did Lola their instructor because they were able to catch on very quickly.

"Alright girls, you all did very well. Keep practicing and I'm sure you'll be just as good as the locals around here." Lola praised them and ended the lesson. The girls then changed and returned the outfits they'd borrowed.

"Thank you very much for the lesson, Lola." Saber thanked her politely before returning to Shirou's side.

"Yeah, thanks! It was a lot of fun, right Sakura-chan?" Arcueid smiled widely.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I really enjoyed myself."

"I think Rider-nee did the best though." Arcueid turned to Rider who smiled faintly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"I'm used to moving my body around like that. You all did very well though, I had a good time." She said with a smile.

"How are you feeling Arturia? You must be sore after all that." Shirou asked as he walked hand-in-hand with her out the door behind the others. Ahead of them Arcueid had taken a firm hold on Shiki's arm.

"To be honest my muscles are feeling the workout. It has been some time since I've had to move like that. Even in combat it does not require that kind of movement." She slid closer to him as they walked.

"It's about time for lunch, are you guys hungry yet?" Rin turned around, asking as she walked backwards.

Arcueid's stomach growled loudly making her blush with embarassment.

"Ahaha. I think that's your answer, Tohsaka-san." Shiki laughed.

()()()

After a light lunch consisting mostly of ham and pinapple, the eight of them sat at the table and talked about what they wanted to do next.

"I'd like to return to the beach and sunbathe a bit more." Sakura suggested as she took a look at the skin on her arms.

"Hm, is that okay? We were at the beach for most of the day yesterday. Shouldn't we see some more of the island?" Rin wanted to do more, even though she was just as tired as everyone else from the long dance lesson.

"What exactly would you suggest then Rin? We don't have a lot of money left, and the rest of us are pretty tired." Aiah said sadly. She wanted to go more places but she was right, their funds were stretching a bit thin so they couldn't afford to do anything spectacular.

Rin sighed, she wanted to drag Shirou somewhere if the rest of them were going to be like that but he probably wouldn't put up with it due to recent events. "Fine, it seems like a waste but if that's what you all would rather do." She complained.

With the desicion made they returned to their rooms at the hotel, changed, and headed back out to the beach. It was as busy as it was the previous day but even so it was one of the most popular beaches in the world so there were still quite a few people. The air around the group felt almost lethargic, like they'd had their fill of fun and were ready to get back to the task at hand. If Shirou was correct in his assumption then the group was just content on lazing around until the next day when they had to leave.

"Shirou, I cannot reach my back. Would you mind helping me?" Saber asked him, holding out a bottle of suntan lotion expecantly. The group had already chosen the best spot they could find on the beach, thankfully they mangaged to find a large enough area where they could set up close to each other.

"Of course not Sa- Arturia." He quickly corrected himself, calling her by her name was going to take some time to get used to as he'd called her Saber for practically the entire time he'd known her. He spread the sunan lotion gently over her back after she'd laid down, he never got used to how soft her skin felt. Perhaps it was because he had rough hands so it felt to him like he was touching a cloud.

She'd squirmed a little at first from it being cold but she got used to it, soon she'd rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes uttering a relaxed sigh that couldn't help but make Shirou smile faintly.

"I'm going to talk to Rin for a bit. You relax and enjoy yourself alright?" If he could get Rin alone, he had a few questions he wanted to ask her about the previous night. He would try to keep his composure but Rin liked to push his buttons sometimes as she did with everyone.

"Yes. I will do so." She muttered, apprently already feeling relaxed as the sun beat down on her small frame only to be cooled off by the ocean breeze.

Shirou left her to head over to where Rin was laying on her stomach with her hair sprawled out over her back. He walked close enough to where his shadow covered her face to get her attention.

Rin's eyes opened and she looked up at him. "Hm? Shirou? You're in my light you know." She said casually.

The vein in Shirou's forehead began to throb. How could she be so casual? "I need to talk to you about last night." He said angrily.

"Oh..." Her expression dropped and she sat up to face him. "I didn't think you'd be this mad, you haven't talked to me much all day so I was able to figure it out that you'd found out about it." She seemed generally sorry, she must have had plenty of time to think about it over the day. Even though on the surface it looked like she was enjoying herself in reality she was thinking about how to get Shirou to forgive her. As expected of Rin she was very good at keeping her true feelings hidden.

"Now would be a good time to explain yourself." Shirou crossed his arms.

"We all had plans to meet up and you even said that you would be there. When you and Saber didn't show up I thought something may have happened to you. That's all it was." She explained.

"Why did you tell everyone? You should have known how Sakura would react." Shirou asked, this was his biggest concern. He didn't care that they knew about him and Saber finally acting like a couple, but he didn't want Sakura to find out the way she did. Shirou hated it when Sakura was feeling down.

"Frankly, I was surprised when I saw the two of you that I sort of... blurted it out." She nervously scratched the back of her head. "I've already apologized to Sakura for it, I didn't think I would ever mess up this bad." It's true that Rin rarely made mistakes, but when she did they were usually where one can't afford to be made. However it seemed like she's been trying to set things right by apologizing to Sakura. It turned out she was a good nee-san after all or at least she was doing her best.

Shirou sighed. "I guess it's not the worst mistake you've ever made." He scratched the back of his neck.

"Huh? You're nod mad anymore?" She couldn't believe it, he was pretty mad a minute ago and after she explained herself his expression dropped.

Shirou smiled faintly. "I can never stay mad at you for long when you make a face like that."

Rin laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

The two of them talked for a little more before Shirou returned to Saber's side and sat down next to her. It appeared that she'd become so relaxed that she'd actually fallen asleep while laying down. Shirou sat back and looked around to beach to see what everyone else was doing. Shiki, Arcueid, Aiah, and Sakura were hitting a beach ball to each other while out in the ocean only enough to be about waist deep. Rider was laying on her back next to Sakura's empty towel and reading a book and Rin had gone back to her sunbathing.

Before he realized it, Shirou had started chuckling to himself. "How carefree..." Even he himself was starting to feel lazy, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to do something normal before he went on this vacation. It felt like there was a hole inside him that was starting to become filled with a warm liquid as he sat and looked at the sleeping Saber next to him.

He laid back next to Saber and stared up at the sky with his hands behind his head. There were only a few clouds in the blue sky and they moved slowly with the breeze which ruffled Shirou's hair. He would have to remember to thank Narbareck heavily for this when everyone got back tomorrow. The sun beat down on his skin and he let out a deep sigh of relaxation before closing his eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but his mind was brought back into conciousness by something soft on his forehead and something else that was gently stroking his hair. His eyes opened to find Saber leaning over him with her lips pressed against his forehead and her fingers lightly going through his hair. The sky that had been beautiful before was now full of clouds that were blocking out the sun and darkening the beach.

"Oh. Good morning, Shirou." Saber smiled down at him.

Shirou stretched and uttered a slight groan, finding that his back was quite stiff. "Mm. Morning, Arturia." He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What time is it?" He asked tiredly.

"Rin said it was 6 o'clock when she woke me up just a minute ago. Arcueid said it was going to rain, so we are all going inside." She explained. "Arcueid expects us to get together for dinner tonight in Rin's and Ms. Cromwell's room. It seems Sakura has prepared something while we were sleeping."

Shirou looked around and saw that everyone else was starting to head back inside ahead of them. "We'd better go clean up then. If Sakura somehow managed to cook something then we won't want to miss it." He smiled and stood up, offering his hand to Saber.

She took it and stood up. "Yes, I have missed your's and Sakura's cooking a great deal." She helped him gather up their things and then headed back to their room.

Upon arrival the two of them took a shower together, which Saber was starting to get used to after the first time so she was not as embarassed as before. Which Shirou was almost disappointed about because that was what made Saber cute in his eyes. Shirou could still make her blush and squirm if he touched her in certain places, but Saber wasn't very thrilled about that sort of thing being done so suddenly. However her angry and blushing face was quite cute too so it made it worth it for Shirou.

Afterwards they headed over to Rin's and Aiah's room where everyone was already waiting.

"Glad you two could make it tonight." Rin said as she was sitting on the couch next to Sakura who had a steamed pot full of what smelled like fried tofu.

"You must really like Sakura-chan's cooking, Saber." Arcueid said with a wide smile.

"Yes, of course I do. However it is usually best when she works together with Shirou." She answered after taking a seat next to Rider.

Sakura and Shirou cast a glance at one another and smiled. It's true that their combined forces in cooking could rival the best chefs in the world when it came to Japanese food. "Senpai was the one that taught me, so I think most of the credit should go to him." Sakura said with a blush on her face.

"Sakura, you're being too modest I think. You and Shirou compete all the time and sometimes you can think of things that even he can overlook." Rider smiled and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Nee-san is better with Chinese though, since Senpai and I don't like to eat it that much." Sakura was starting to get embarassed.

"That's about all Rin can do in the kitchen, though if it was possible to use Magecraft in the kitchen I'm sure Rin would put us both to shame." Shirou joked, which got a pillow thrown in his face by Rin.

"It's because I only have myself to feed, you both have an advantage because of all the people that go through your house." Rin huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"By the way Matou-san, that's tofu isn't it?" Shiki asked.

"Yes, I bought some earlier with Rider while you all were at the beach and found the dishes in our room."

Shirou figured this must have happend after he fell asleep.

Not long after that they were all happily eating the dinner that Sakura had cooked for them. It was nice not to have to go out and have dinner together in the comfort of the hotel. Through the hotel window Shirou saw that it had started to rain, meaning they couldn't go back out and see the island's nightlife. Which was a shame because there were plenty of bonfires, dances, cookouts, and other fun things that went on at night.

"Sakura it's impressive you were able to do something like this so suddenly." Shirou said as he took a bite of the tofu.

"Thank you Senpai." Sakura beamed. "Rider and I had to buy the tofu, but the rest of the ingredients we were able to borrow from a food stand so there wouldn't be any extra." She explained.

"I expect they only let us do so because of the way we look." Rider pondered as she ate. She was probably right, the two of them were very beautiful so it wouldn't surprise Shirou if something like that happened. Aiah for the most part just sat and ate, she didn't feel she had any part in the conversation and she never talked much anyway due to being shy. Sakura's cooking was very good and one could tell just by looking at her face while she ate it.

"Hey, why don't we play a game?" Rin suggested after dinner was finished and Shirou was taking care of the dishes with Sakura. It was nice that the rooms had stoves and sinks and just about anything else one could ever want. In fact the rooms themselves were about as big as a small apartment back home in Japan.

Aiah's expression perked up. She liked playing games but wasn't familiar with the popular ones from Japan. "That sounds like fun, what do you have in mind Tohsaka-san?"

"I have some Pocky sticks in my bag." Rin said with a grin.

"Nee-san you can't mean..." Sakura turned around and looked at her with surprise.

Arcueid, Saber, Rider, and Aiah all had clueless looks on their faces where as Shiki and Shirou looked rather apprehensive.

"Okay the way this game is played is we all draw lines on a piece of paper and whoever's two connect they have to eat one of these from both ends." Rin explained as she dug into her back and pulled out a can of the sweet snacks.

"So the person you're partnered with you basically end up...kissing?" Aiah confirmed.

"Unless the stick breaks, then yes." Rin answered and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Rin, I am not sure I am agreeable to this." Saber said.

"Saber-chan is right. What if Shiki ends up with somebody other than me?" Arcueid protested as Shiki started to open his mouth.

"You'll just have to make sure you two end up together. Even if it doesn't work out, your relationship won't be destroyed by a game will it? It's just for fun." Rin said impatiently. She seemed eager to play and Shirou wondered where this newfound enthusiasm came from as he wasn't too thrilled about the idea either. "Come on you guys, what have you got to lose?" She pushed.

"I'll play." Aiah said quietly. It didn't matter who she ended up with, it would be an embarassing experience for her. Though she didn't think she would mind too much if it was Shirou.

"I'll join too." Sakura said, hoping that Shirou would end up joining.

"I will play as well." Rider said right after Sakura. Rider didn't know what would come of this, she had never shared a real kiss with anyone before and she wondered what kind of an experience it was.

Saber looked over at Arcueid, wordlessly asking her opinion and the same could be said about Shiki and Shirou who was still in the kitchen leaning against the sink.

Shirou sighed. "Arturia, what's your Luck rating?" He asked.

Her head perked up at the strange question. "My luck is ranked C, but you cannot be thinking of playing can you?"

"I wouldn't want to let everyone else down. Besides, like Rin said all we have to do is make sure we end up together." Shirou took a seat next to Saber.

"If you are certain Shirou, I will not allow you to do this alone." Reluctantly she consented.

"We'll do it as well then. I wouldn't hear the end of it if we were the only ones who didn't play." Arcueid glanced at Shiki and said not a second after Saber answered.

"Then it's settled. Everybody ready?" Rin said and instructed everyone to put their fists into a circle to determine the first round. Some did it willingly, others were a little reluctant at first.

"Rock."

"Paper."

"Scissors!"

And the lines were drawn after many rounds. Shirou had in fact managed to rig the game so he ended up with Saber, which was a lot more difficult to do so than what he'd first thought. It was almost as if other people were trying to get him as their partner as well. Shiki and Arcueid weren't so lucky as Shiki ended up with Aiah and Arcueid was partnered with Rider, things fell into place randomly from there.

The first pairing to take their turn would be Rin and Sakura.

"Nee-san, are you sure about this?" Sakura said apprehensively.

"We're sisters aren't we? So it should be fine right?" Rin sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well as Sakura. Rin took out a stick and placed one end in her teeth.`

"I-If you say so Nee-san..." Reluctantly, Sakura took the opposite end in her teeth casting a glance at Shirou on the couch next to Saber and started to blush.

"Ready." Arcueid started the countdown.

"Set."

"Go!"

The air was filled of the sounds of tiny crunches as the two sisters began to nibble on the stick. A few seconds passed and their mouths grew ever closer together, it was possible to feel the tension in the air and if Shirou listened close enough he was sure that he could hear their heats beating inside their chests. As they neared the middle Rin and Sakura had both closed their eyes and began to blush furiously. The stick did not break in the middle like the two of them were hoping it would, instead the two sisters' lips connected before a brief second before they parted and looked away from one another.

The scene was very cute and by the looks of it Shiki thought so too because he had a faint grin on his face.

"S-So who's next?" Rin asked, eager to get her and Sakura out of the spotlight before steam started pouring from her ears.

Aiah picked up the paper and took a look at it. "It's Arcueid and Rider."

The two of them approached each other on either side of the table in the middle of the sitting area and Arcueid took a stick from the box sitting on it. Rider was blushing faintly but other than that her face was expressionless. Arcueid put the stick in her teeth and leaned over the table waiting for Rider to take her end.

"Are you nervous, Rider-san?" The stick in her mouth bobbed up and down as she asked her question.

"I... I am not sure I wanted my first kiss to be with another woman." Rider said as she leaned over the table and took her end of the stick.

"It's alright Rider, something like this doesn't count so you can still hold on to your first kiss." Rin reassured her after she'd regained her composure from kissing her sister, Sakura.

"Then let us get this over with." Rider began to chew her end, eager to end her turn. If this did not count as her first kiss then she had nothing to fear.

After seeing Rider start Arcueid began to chew on her end as well small crumbs falling between them and littering the table below. Their lips met as the stick ran out, Arcueid only noticed just then that Rider's eyes were most certainly not normal. The most noticable sign being her pupils, which were shaped like jewels. Arcueid was almost taken in by them except Rider brought her back to her senses by breaking their lips and pulling away from her. Arcueid frowned, upset that she almost got lost in Rider's eyes since things like that normally didn't happen to her.

"Hey, Arc you almost looked like you enjoyed that." Shiki said with a voice filled with jealously.

"Th-that's not true!" Arcueid blushed and puffed out her cheek. Rider only sat wordlessly next to Sakura with an embarassing look on her face.

"Shiki, it's you and Aiah next." Shirou said after looking at the paper. It would seem he and Saber would be going last.

Shiki pulled out a stick and put it in his teeth with Aiah taking the other end.

"Shiki, you had better break that stick or you'll regret it." Arcueid crossed her arms and glared at him.

He did as he was told and broke the stick in half just before their lips met.

"Alright you two, your turn." Rin said to Shirou and Saber as she handed them a Pocky.

Shirou took it and put it between his teeth. He was glad he ended up with Saber, but he was a little apprehensive about kissing her in front of everyone. As he was sure she was judging by her facial expression. Her eyes were downward and a slight blush was spread across her cheeks, but she took the opposite end in her teeth like she'd watched everyone else do before her. Rin performed the countdown and the two of them began to eat the stick together. Saber grabbed Shirou's shoulders and closed her eyes as they neared the middle of the stick. When their lips finally met Saber grabbed the cloth of Shirou's shirt, they held the kiss for a couple of seconds longer before they split apart.

Both of them were blushing and everyone was looking at them.

"Um... we would appreciate it if you all would stop staring at us like that." Shirou said nervously.

"Oh, sorry." They didn't even realize they were until Shirou said something.

After a few minutes the atmosphere returned to normal at the group talked about meaningless things for a couple of hours before everyone began to get tired. They said goodbye to Rin and Aiah and headed back to their own rooms.

"Shirou, have you enjoyed yourself?" Saber asked as she sat down on the bed. They would have to leave to return to the Agency in the morning, so this would be their last night to relax.

"Yeah, I have. It's been really refreshing coming here after everything that's happened." He answered her with a relaxed smile. "Have you?"

"Yes. I believe our trials have only just started, things will be more difficult after this." She replied as she untied her boots and slipped them off.

Saber prepared herself for bed and as she lay down, half covered Shirou leaned out of the bathroom. "Arturia, there's something important I want to ask you." He asked as if unsure if he should actually ask or not.

"Yes, what is it?" She tilted her head, curious as to the reason why he was acting so different now.

Shirou looked down. "When all this is over I was wondering if..." His voice trailed off.

"Shirou?" Saber asked, confused.

No, he couldn't ask her now. There was too much that could happen, too much uncertainty on the road again. Now that he actually thought, this may not be the best time for such a question. "No, nevermind."

"Very well, then come to bed." She smiled and laid her head down. Though she was curious about what he had to say, she was sure that in time he would tell her anyway. His eyes said that his words were important, so there was no way he wouldn't say what he meant to later. A moment later Shirou joined her in bed, and the only sounds in the room was their breathing and the gentle sound of rain against the windows. The two of them drifted off into a dreamless sleep of what could be the last restfull night either of them would ever have, Saber had a knack for knowing the road ahead. She had a feeling of what lay ahead, however she could not be more wrong. What the taxi driver back in Terni said was true, dark days were indeed coming.


	26. Scout

ACT XXVI - Scout

The sound of heavy boots thudding on the ground echoed through the quiet streets of the town. The sky had be come dark, even during the daylight hours, this hadn't started until a strange group of people began to go in and out of the village frequently. Nobody knew where they came from, and nobody knew where they went when they left, sometimes they wouldn't be seen for days at a time.

The boots belonged to a woman who arrived a couple of days before. She had been tracking vampires through the village, looking for clues as to what their next moves were. Today she was chasing one in particular, she had killed several for a valuable bit of information regarding the location of their current leader. The vampire she was chasing now was going to lead her right to him so she could eavesdrop on their meeting.

He was an unsightly thing with short brown hair and tattered clothing, actually she was the one that had torn it. She'd let him escape so she could follow him to his master which would no doubt want to know that she was here in the village. And so he ran like the devil himself was after him. She let him get a very generous lead before she began to follow him again, ducking through alleys and jumping gracefully on the rooftops. Luckily the human villagers kept to themselves and rarely came outside these days, probably due to fear. Of course they didn't know exactly what was going on, only that entire families had been disappearing without any trace at all. They had no idea who was behind it, or where the people went but that was enough to keep them scared.

The man ducked into another alleyway, which was very narrow and had a dead end. The woman's robes fluttered as she follow him from the rooftops, watching with cold, sapphire eyes. She clucked her tongue in annoyance. "Idiot, doesn't he know there's no way out of there?" She stopped, waiting for him to come back out of the alleyway. The chilling breeze ruffled her short, blueish-black hair as she waited patiently as a hawk would stalk it's prey.

After about five minutes she began to grow impatient. Digging into her robes she pulled out three handles of what looked like swords. Silent as an owl she jumped to the alleyway below and pressed herself up agains the wall next to the opening in the wall leading down the dead end. She peeked her head into the alleyway and prepared to throw her blades at the man possibly laying a trap for her inside.

"Ara?" Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw nothing there. The person whom she'd seen very clearly enter the place was nowhere to be seen, with no possible escape route out of the dark hallway that she couldn't see it didn't seem believable. She stood there with her hand on her hip in disbelief and headed further into the alley to investigate. Perhaps there was some hidden door or something she didn't know about here so she placed her hand on the wall and ran her fingers across the rough brick to see if she could feel any irregularity at all. She felt a tiny vibration coming from inside her robes, the sensation made her squirm and blush slightly so she quickly dug the headset-phone out of her robes and hooked it to her ear.

"Yumi." The voice on the other end of the line was female, the voice was mature yet young at the same time. "How is the hunting this season?" The woman asked a strange question. It's to be expected since this operation was of the utmost importance to the Agency, so it's no surprise code was used.

The woman that was called Yumi sighed. She hated being called by her codename. What was wrong with Ciel? "I thought I had the trail of something, but it seems it was able to escape." She said vaguely, knowing that the person on the other line would know what she meant.

"That's too bad. If you bag a big one, be sure to let me know." The woman answered and then hug up as the report was finished.

Ciel sighed. "Jeez, why couldn't she send me on a vacation too?" She complained as she stuffed the phone back into her robes. She was about to lean on the swords still in her hands but she heard a loud clang once they connected with the ground. The ground in the alleyways was usually made with concrete or asphalt, not metal. Kneeling down to the ground she inspected it further. She rapped her knuckles on it and as she expected it made a metallic sound, meaning that the person she was chasing must have opened this somehow and went inside. There must be tunnels underneath the city that lead wherever he needed to go, but there was no way that they could be build without someone in the city noticing, right?

"Interesting..." Ciel muttered. She began running her hands along the the ground, looking for the edges of a door or opening in the dirt on the ground. Her fingers found a loose spot in the dirt and she soon found the edges of a large hatch. Using one of her swords she pried it open, wondering how the careful that vampire must have been to open and close this big, heavy thing without her hearing it at all.

The large hatch led into a dark and foul smelling hole, which she had no choice but to jump down and investigate. Her boots hit the ground with an echoing thud and the smell of old and stale air flooded her nostrils.

"These tunnels must be how they're moving unnoticed around the village..." She mumbled and began to walk through the long corridor. Now all that was left for her to do was to find out which way the vampire she was chasing went. She tried to walk as carefully as possible in case anyone was walking down here.

Keeping a hand on the wall to find her way as it was still very dark so she couldn't see too well. For the most part the place was very dry except for a few wet spots on the walls where moisture from underground must have been leaking in.

It was difficult because she could barely see five feet in front of her as no light was able to get into the tunnels. If he was a Magus she could at least track him, but as it was she had nothing she could do aside from blindly search the underground for some kind of clue.

She thought she smelled something that was different from the normal stink of the air so she turned and began to follow it. It was sour and sweet at the same time, but it was unpleasant. It was the smell of death. It seemed like the smell was coming from the left so she turned and followed it. It led her down an identical looking hallway, however the stench was stronger so she was in fact heading the right way.

As she headed further into the corridor she felt something grab a hold of her ankle. After yelping in surprise she kicked as hard as she could, bringing a bloody face into view. Decaying fingers clawed at her skin and the eyes of the thing were cold and lifeless. It was no surprise to her that they would leave things like this to guard vital passageways. With one swoop she removed the thing's head and it thudded to the ground. It was clever to hide it in the darkness like that, it even caught her by surprise.

After figuring out which way the Dead had come from she continued walking through the dark corridors. The moisture on the walls began to feel sticky, curiously she brought her hand away from the wall and looked at it. It wasn't water that was on the wall as she thought, but blood. However the blood that was on this wall was much older and had mostly solidified.

"That explains the missing families and the increase of the Dead around..." Ciel mumbled and continued to follow to trail of half-dried blood on the walls. She soon reached a dead end at the end of the corridor.

Sighing, she placed her hands on her hips. "I was sure this was the right way." She complained and hung her head. She had no support other than Narbareck who was never much help anyway as she didn't do a lot of field work these days. She clucked her tongue in annoyance and kicked the wall in frustration, the strength in which she kicked caused the walls to shudder and dust to fall from the cieling onto her head. With a groan she wiped it off.

"Hm? What's that?" She looked up and saw a small bit of light streaming through a crack in the cieling. However the crack wasn't made by her kick or the earth. It was built, meaning there was another hatch above her.

She jumped up and opened the hatch, finding herself in the basement of one of the abandoned office buildings in the middle of town. This had to have been where the person she was chasing went, it had been some time since Ciel had seen anyone go in or out of the front door of this building so it should be logical to assume that this was the temporary headquarters of the vampires in the village.

Carefully she closed the hatch and listened as hard as she could for any voices. Luckily she did in fact hear something coming from up the stone steps leading to the main building. She pressed herself up against the door so she could hear better.

"Explain this to me again, because I believe I may have misheard you the first time." A stern male voice commanded. By his tone of voice Ciel thought that he may be someone of high ranking.

"Y-Yes my Lord." A second voice sputtered. By his tone it was easy to tell that the first man didn't like what this one had to say as his voice contained subtle killing intent. But the second man's voice held fear and submission as well as concern. "It seems there is a member of the Holy Church here in the village. The renegade Ancestor also has become hinderance to our operations." He stuttered.

"The renegade Apostle does not concern me!" The sound of a fist connecting with flesh could be heard on the other side of the door, which almost gave way if it were not for Ciel pushing against it. "What of this member from the Holy Church?"

"I believe she is from the Agency my Lord." After he spoke another blow was heard.

"You fool! I should kill you where you stand just for letting them in!" The first man spat angrily.

"My sincerest apologies, my Lord. She will be dealt with accordingly." The second man apologized.

"For your sake, I hope so. The Black Princess has informed me that the Ritual will proceed as planned." The man's speech returned to normal.

"What of your injuries my Lord?"

"They are all but healed, I will be participating in the Ritual as planned, it has already been prepared, all that's left is the key. However my heart is proving to be quite troublesome, it seems that it will never fully heal." He said as if he was complaining.

"What about the girl? Is it alright to leave her alone?"

"The Black Princess was very angry with me when she'd learned of my failure. It seems to keep her favor I'll have to present the girl to her personally." The man sighed.

"Will you be leaving then?"

"Yes, I will retrieve the girl soon. It should prove to be a simple matter for me. You just do your job and exterminate that Church rat, now leave." Footsteps could be heard moving away. Ciel was sure that it was the first man walking away, leaving the second standing there.

She figured that now was a good time to go back the way she came as she'd heard from valuable information to report back to Narbareck. Turning around and running as fast as she could she made her way back to the other end of the tunnels and out the hole she jumped in at. She quickly retreated to the deserted house she'd been staying in and dug the phone out of her robes, immediately calling Narbareck and telling her of the situation.

"I see, that's some very good information. It's too bad I can't be there with you. We'd clean the whole place out with just the two of us." Narbareck's breathing began to increase on the other side of the line. Narbareck was the type that loved bloodshed, loved fighting almost as much as sexual intercourse, it even has the same effect on her body.

"I believe your knees would become too weak halfway through and you would collapse, leaving me with all the work." Ciel joked.

Narbareck chuckled. "Ha ha. You may be right, at any rate the others should be back within a couple of hours. They'll be interested to hear this news as well."

"What's your next plan?" Ciel asked.

"We will cleanse the entire town in one fell swoop. We have to end this before it has a chance to begin. If what you said was true then they could perform the Ritual at any time once they possess Ms. Cromwell. The Dark Six must absolutley not be allowed to revive." Narbareck said sternly.

"I agree. What are your orders?"

"You are to keep a low profile until the others arrive, then you are to work with them and exterminate every freak you see." A faint smile crossed Narbareck's lips.

"Understood. Ciel, out." She disconnected the line and flopped down on the dusty couch in the living room of the small house, her legs hanging limply over the edge. "It's about time. All this espionage doesn't suit me very well." She sighed and looked to her side, on the coffee table lay her glasses that she wore when wearing her casual clothing. It had seemed like such a long time since she'd seen Shiki or Shirou. Narbareck usually kept her pretty busy even when they were at the Agency together so there was never really time to talk.

Just then her stomach growled. "Time for some tea and beef curry." Luckily when she'd already arrived at the deserted house it had some teabags. The curry however she had to buy from the local grocery store accross town. The owners seemed awefully dedicated to keep the store running even though half the town's population had gone missing. Well, that's not true they hadn't really gone missing, they were all fed on by the vampires which was taking a tole on the town since there were such a large number of them running around.

Ciel sighed tiredly. "We're going to have our hands full with this one." She said as she looked through the window of the kitchen at the darkened sky. A small clap of lightning could be seen within the black clouds, it rained quite a lot in England and it seems it wasn't going to stop for anything, not even for a large scale battle.


	27. Flames of Despair

ACT XVII - Flames of Despair

"Welcome back." Narbareck greeted the group of people standing in her office. They all looked significantly well-tanned as well as relaxed.

"Yes, we had a great time. Thank you for sending us" Sakura smiled.

"That's great, now while you've been gone we've all been working hard here. I'm going to need you all in Aylesbury." Narbareck put her elbows on the table and interlaced her fingers.

"You mean right now? We just got back." Shiki complained.

"Things are a lot worse than they seem Tohno. I don't have time to let you play around." Narbareck narrowed her eyes.

"I take it you've heard something significant, Narbareck?" Arcueid put her hand on her hip. "What was it?"

"Arcueid-sama, is that you?" Around the corner peeked Merem Solomon, the familiar white rat perched on top of his head.

"Merem? When did you get back?" Arcueid asked him. Narbareck didn't look too happy at the interruption, she frowned as Merem entered the room.

"Only just now. Narbareck, have you briefed them?" He asked. The rat looked around the room and saw Sakura, immediately jumping off Merem's head and climbing up Sakura's skirt to bury itself in her chest and poke it's head out.

Sakura blushed and squirmed as the rat squirmed around, but she was able to relax as it settled down and she scratched it's head with her index finger.

"I was about to before you walked in." Narbareck cleared her throat. "Now then. Ciel has been doing some work for me in the heart of all this, Aylesbury, where the ritual will take place."

"That's where the Ancestors are trying to ressurect The Dark Six isn't it?" Shirou asked to confirm.

Narbareck nodded. "Yes. Now from what we've learned they needed a key, which we had assumed was Ms. Cromwell here." She motioned a hand towards her.

"And you're saying that's not the case anymore, right?" Rin asked.

Narbareck's expression dropped. "Well, frankly we have no idea. We had assumed from the beginning that Ms. Cromwell was special from what Ortenrosse said to Emiya. But we have no idea what the Ancestors are looking for that could classify her as "The Key.""

"There's no tests that you can perform?" Rin asked again.

"We don't have the facilities for something like that, even if there were we have no idea what to look for." Narbareck sighed. "In any case, it seems like Altrouge is searching for an alternative. We need to leave immediately for Aylesbury and exterminate it before they find what they're looking for."

"The entire town?" Shirou's eyes widened.

"Yes. By now the entire town has been turned into a nest of ghouls and Apostles. When Ciel contacted me she said that half the town had already been turned." Narbareck informed him.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt. But I think I may have an idea about what they're looking for." Aiah said timidly from the corner.

"Aiah?" Shirou turned around in surprise.

"Yes. Please enlighten us, Ms. Cromwell." Narbareck said with interest.

Aiah raised her right arm and the room began to go cold and sting like winter. The breath of everyone in the room could be seen as Aiah snapped her fingers. The glass of water on Narbareck's desk froze and shattered, leaving a large block of ice on her desk.

"So what? Every Magus is trained to freeze things." Rin wasn't impressed. After all how could she be, she was a rare genius in all things magical. The temperture of the room returned to normal and the ice on the desk began to melt.

"That's not it. I posess dual elements Water and Wind. It comes easier to me than anyone else, also I was trained early on in freezing. The Cromwell family specializes in freezing, and only freezing." Aiah explained.

"You don't know anything else?" Shirou asked.

Aiah shook her head. "No, the Cromwell family are the Masters of the element of Water. My family crest allows me to execute an A Rank magic attack instantly, and with my dual elements I can freeze almost anything with very little mana cost."

"Hm. Could it be possible that the Ancestors need to freeze something for the ritual?" Arcueid pondered, closing her eyes in thought.

"That would make sense. None of the surviving Ancestors can use any type of magecraft with the exception of Ortenrosse, and he's a Projection specialist." Narbareck said. "However I'm not willing to bet anything on that being correct. Ms. Cromwell will stay here with me while the rest of you go to cleanse Aylesbury."

"But I want to help! I'm not some fragile, defenceless schoolgirl you know!" Aiah protested.

"The issue here isn't your combat ability. What if you get captured again? We may not be able to come after you a second time. That's something I can't allow." Narbareck explained.

"But-" Aiah began to complain.

"Listen to me. Excluding three of the people in this room, there are only a handfull of humans who can match a Dead Apostle Ancestor in single combat. And I can count them all on a single hand. You are certainly not one of these people, do you understand?" Narbareck said sternly. "For most of the people in the world, meeting an Ancestor means death."

Aiah sighed. "As you wish." She backed off.

"Then, you'll all be leaving in the morning. Merem can take Aiah's place if he wishes, he hasn't shut up about how I've been keeping him away from you lately." She complained to Arcueid.

Merem went to stand beside Arcueid. "Then I shall, if Arcueid-sama wishes it." He looked up at her for approval. Merem owes his devotion to Arcueid from her father The Crimson Moon, whom he served as one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors after The Crimson Moon had saved his life. After his defeat, his loyalties were directed to Arcueid. He worked with the Holy Church occasionally to stay close to the Holy Artifacts they possessed however his primary directive was to serve Arcueid however she wished, everything else was secondary to him.

"I don't mind. Do whatever you want, Merem." Arcueid responded.

"You're all free to leave now." Narbareck shooed them all out the door.

As they were all walking back through the hallways Sakura turned around to face Shirou. "Senpai, it's been a few days since you've cooked. Would you like to cook dinner with me tonight?" She asked cheerfully.

"I'd be glad to. I'm sure Auturia and everyone else has missed our cooking." Shirou placed a hand on Saber's shoulder and smiled.

"Yes, it seems the food is best when the two of you work together." Saber nodded in approval, the ahoge on her head bounced like an antenna.

"Okay, Sakura and I will head to the kitchen and see what we can scrounge up. The rest of you go relax and we'll come get you when it's ready."

"Sure thing Shirou." Rin said and began to lead everyone else off.

"Let's play a game while we wait." Arcueid suggested enthusiastically.

"As long as it doesn't involve kissing anyone, them I'm willing to." Rider said with a faint blush across her face.

"I think I'm with Rider on that one." Shiki said in agreement as the group disappeared down the hall with Saber bringing up the rear with Aiah.

"Senpai? Aren't you coming?" Sakura had started to the kitchen without Shirou after he'd turned arount to see Shiki and the girls off.

"Yeah. Right behind you, Sakura." He answered and started after her.

The Agency had a decent sized kitchen complete with a refrigerator, stove, dishes, and just about anything else. Shirou began to wonder if Narbareck cooked for herself as she seemed to live in that office of hers. She must never leave the headquarters and most likely slept in one of the many rooms in the underground building.

"Hey, Sakura. Do we have enough food for nine instead of eight?" Shirou asked.

She opened the refrigerator and bent over to get a good look around inside. "I think so, but why?" She asked curiously.

Shirou turned away from her and opened the cubbard to get a frying pan. "I think we should make dinner for Narbareck too."

Sakura came back from the refrigerator with some roast beef she found along with some potatoes. It looked like it would have to be a Western-style dinner tonight as there weren't enough ingredients for Japanese or Chinese. "I think she'd like that. Every time I see her she just sits in her office filing reports or talking to someone on the phone." Sakura smiled.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Shirou looked at what Sakura had brought out of the refrigerator. "Roast beef and baked potatoes?" He thought for a moment, it seemed so boring by itself. "If there's some cheese we could melt that down and pour it over the beef and poatoes."

Sakura took another look in the fridge. "There is, but it's the fake kind." She said with disappointment and took out a block of brand-name cheese.

"Hm, it could still work if we add some things to it as we melt it." Shirou put his hands on his hips to think. He felt naked without his apron at home, and there wasn't one to be found in the kitchen of the Agency but he'd somehow pull through.

"I'll start on the beef then Senpai if you take care of the cheese and potatoes." Sakura smiled, it was nice to see him cooking again. Of all the times she's spent with him, it seems one of the things he enjoyed doing the most was cooking. It made her happy just being near him and seeing him smile, if she could see that as he worked happily on something then she would be the happiest person in the world.

"Sure thing Sakura." Shirou got out a pot to melt the cheese and went into the fridge to bring out some onions and green peppers he found inside. He turned them over in his hands to make sure they were good enough to cut up and put into the cheese.

Shirou left Sakura to set the table in the adjacent room as dinner was pretty much ready. It had turned out as expected and the onions and peppers he added to the cheese added some much needed flavor. He guessed everyone was in the central lounge, there were tables and chairs there so it would be the perfect place to go if they had started to play a game like Arcueid had suggested as they left. He rounded a corner and entered the sitting room only to be met by one of the strangest sights he'd ever seen.

Shiki, Arcueid, and Aiah sat on one side of the table while Saber, Rider, and Rin sat on the other. In between them on the table was a dry-erase board with what looked like a poorly drawn horse on it. On Shiki's head was a bright red bucket with the face of a cat drawn on it. Rin was wearing a large pair of red framed sunglasses that looked like they'd been bought at a joke shop, and Arcueid was no longer wearing a bra under her sweater which was nowhere to be seen. They all looked up at Shirou when they heard him come into the room.

"What the... nevermind. I don't even want to know." Shirou figured it was better not to know how they'd ended up like that or even what kind of game they were playing. "Anyway, dinner is ready." Before he walked away he saw Shiki took the bucket off of his head and set it aside but he didn't say anything to Shirou probably out of humiliation. "Man, maybe I should keep a closer eye on them." He scratched the back of his neck as he entered the kitchen and started helping Sakura serve up the plate and put the food on the table.

Once that was finished he made a tray for Narbareck, told Sakura where he was going and left. He reached her office and knocked on the door.

"Yes, come on in." She answered.

Shirou opened the door and went inside. Narbareck was sitting at her desk doing paperwork, her face half covered by her long hair. "I brought you something to eat if you're hungry." He carried the tray over to her and she looked up at him in surprise.

"My goodness. You really are very good natured aren't you, Emiya?" Shirou guessed he'd caught her off guard, the fact almost made him smile from ear to ear. "With everything that's been going on you still have time to think about me? I'm flattered." She grinned and took the tray from Shirou. "Thank you."

"I've never seen you leave this office other than the time we went to go rescue Aiah." Shirou said. "Sakura and I figured you might be hungry." He began to head towards the door to go and eat with everyone.

"Thanks again Emiya." Narbareck smiled faintly which surprisingly fit her image very well. After seeing Shirou off she sat down to eat, reminding herself to thank Sakura for her work too.

"I think it turned out well don't you Senpai?" Sakura smiled over dinner.

Shirou nodded. "It's too bad we didn't have more to work with though." He said in slight disappointment. Recently, whenever he cooked he treated it as if it would be the last time he ever ate.

"Nonsense Shirou." Saber said after swallowing a bit of potato. "It's perfect as usual." She nodded slightly as she usually did when she ate something she liked which was usually anything that was put in front of her.

"Saber's right, it's very good." Arcueid agreed.

Rin stayed silent, her eyes narrowed at her plate as if it had insulted her. Usually she was the one that was the best at cooking western food, but it seems now she saw Shirou and Sakura as worthy opponents.

Rider and Aiah ate silently. Shirou had never noticed before, but Aiah actually ate like someone from a high class family. She had a certain air about her that was almost like Saber's, he began to wonder if the Cromwells were of noble blood. Her table manners were very well refined and her movements were elegant and graceful, before he knew it he was staring at her and had to shake his head to snap himself out of it.

Dinner ended shortly afterward and Saber convinced Shirou that they should retire to bed early. "We all need a good night's sleep if we are going to be at our best tomorrow." Saying something like that she led Shirou back to the room they shared.

()()()

The next morning, Shirou's eyes opened slowly. After stretching his free arm he turned his head to see Saber still sleeping soundly, pressed against him with her head on his shoulder and her hand resting gently on his chest. It made Shirou happy every time he woke up next to her like this. It was hard to believe she was once so reserved and shy, she'd changed a lot since she met Shirou. Reaching his arm over, he brushed a bit of her hair away from her face and behind her ear.

Saber's emerald eyes opened and she smiled faintly after seeing Shirou. "Good morning Shirou." She said softly.

"Morning Arturia." He greeted her warmly.

Reluctantly Saber sat up, keeping a hold on the sheet to cover herself. "As much as I would love to stay here with you for the rest of the day, Narbareck will no doubt want to speak to us before we leave." She sighed. She too had been greatly enjoying all the time spent with Shirou, however she also knew that the town of Aylesbury greatly needed them. There would be plenty of time for love after this incident was put to rest.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Shirou nodded in agreement, swinging his legs off the bed he stood up and spun around to face Saber. "Shall we, my Queen?" Smiling widely he held out a hand and bowed slightly.

This apparently caught her offguard as she put one of her hands to her cheek to hide her blushing. Letting go of the sheet she took his hand, her cheeks still red. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning, Shirou..." She said with a flustered voice as she let him lead her into the shower.

After they had both washed themselves they got dressed. Saber in her normal clothing, and Shirou in his white armor. They headed out the door together to see if everyone else was awake. Walking down the halls towards Narbareck's office they ran into Rin and Aiah. Rin was moving like a zombie even though she looked perfectly normal, with the exception of her eyes which were glazed over.

"Morning you two. Rough night, Rin?" He greeted them and asked Rin what was going on. She was normally like this in the mornings, but this time it seemed particularly hard on her.

"Shut up." Rin groaned.

"Good morning Shirou." Aiah greeted him a little bit more cheerfully, but not by much as she seemed upset about something.

"You alright, Aiah?" Shirou asked.

"No, frankly I'm not." She put her hands on her hips. "I really want to go and fight with you and the others. I can't believe Narbareck expects me to sit by and do nothing while the rest of you could be getting hurt." She said angrily. Rin had left them and turned a corner, shuffling her feet. She was probably going to check on Sakura and Rider. Shirou didn't want them to go either, but he would never hear the end of it if he brought it up. After all, Sakura had already hit him once over the matter.

"It's too risky this time. I think Narbareck made the right desicion. If we take you with us, we'd basically be giving them just what they want." Shirou explained.

"I know that. But dammit I feel so useless. I'm a perfectly competent Magus, I hate sitting around like this." She sighed.

"I know how you feel. Believe me I do." Shirou put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You have to trust us on this one. Things are going to get very bad, so sit this one out. Alright?"

Aiah pursed her lips and pouted. "Fine." She said with another deep sigh and returned to her room, leaving Shirou and Saber in the hallway.

"Does she not remind you of someone?" Saber asked.

Shirou took a look back at the door of Aiah's room. "Yeah, she does. That's why I'm worried about her, that girl doesn't have a Noble Phantasm to protect her like I did."

Saber gently took his hand. "Come on Shirou. She will be fine." She assured him and they walked down the hall together in the direction that they'd seen Rin go.

Sakura and Rider's room were in the opposite hallway, and once they turned the corner they saw Rin, Rider, and Sakura walking towards them together. All of them were dressed and Rin looked like she'd perked up a little bit as she didn't look as grumpy as she did previously.

"Good morning you two." Sakura greeted them warmly.

"Good morning." Rider smiled faintly and nodded to them as well, she had on her black outfit and her Noble Phantasm - Breaker Gorgon. The outfit she normally wore when fighting.

The group walked to Narbareck's office together and went inside.

"Do you ever sleep?" Rin put her hands on her hips.

"Good morning to you too, Tohsaka." She answered back. "Where's Tohno, Arcueid, and Solomon?" She asked.

"Right here ma'am." Merem entered the room with Arcueid and Shiki in tow.

"You should really learn to knock Merem." Shiki complained as he scratched the back of his neck.

"My apologies to both of you. I expected you to be more ready than you were." He said with disinterest.

"Shiki is right. Please acknowlege the privacy of Shiki and I." Arcueid crossed her arms.

Merem turned around and bowed in her direction. "I am very sorry, it will not happen again."

"Well it seems everyone is here." Narbareck waited until they were finished talking amongst themselves. "Where is Ms. Cromwell?" She asked.

"Aiah's in her room. She's pretty upset about our desicion to have her stay here." Shirou informed her.

"She'll get over it. What's important right now is-" At that moment, a large explosion rocked the foundation of the Agency, sending everyone in the room tumbling to the ground.

Shirou covered his ears and his brain felt like it was going to be split open. He looked around and Sakura seemed to have been knocked unconcious in the blast after hitting her head on Narbareck's desk.

An alarm blared. He felt a hand on his back and looked up to see Saber in her armor, offering him her hand. He took it and she helped him to his feet then proceded to make sure everyone else was alright.

Narbareck hopped to her feet, "You four!" She pointed at Shiki, Arcueid, Saber, and Shirou. "Merem, Rider and I will take care of the wounded. Go see what's going on!" She yelled loudly, her voice barely able to go louder than the alarm.

"Right!" Shirou confirmed and he ran out the door, not bothering to check and see if anyone was following him or not. He could hear screams from the guards near the doorways leading out onto the streets.

"That explosion did not come from the same direction as those screams." Saber said. Shirou had noticed that too. The screaming was coming to the left, but that large explosion sounded a lot closer than that. The hallways were ruined, rubble was lying around that had fallen from the cieling and there were small fires on the ground.

"If that's the case let's split up. Arcueid and I will go see what's going on down there, you two go check out the explosion." Shiki suggested.

"That's fine with me. Let's go Arturia." Shirou said and turned in the direction with the most damage to the structure.

After they'd started running another scream was heard. It was the scream of a girl and it sounded considerably closer.

"Shirou, that was-!" Saber said urgently.

Shirou began to run faster. "That was Aiah!"

He skidded into the hallway where Aiah's room was. It was this hallway that looked the worse, halfway down there was a gaping hole in the wall filled with large chunks of rocks and the crackling of fire.

"Aiah!" Shirou yelled and called her name as he ran into the hole where her room used to be.

"Hello again, Emiya Shirou."

"You!" Shirou couldn't believe his eyes. This was one of the moments where he hated being right.

In the flames stood a man in a long brown coat. Over his shoulder was slung an unconcious Aiah. The man's name was Trhvmn Ortenrosse, he wasn't exactly a man to begin with, he was a vampire. He stood laughing in the middle of the flames.

"I told you that her realease was only temporary didn't I? I let you experience the ultimate despair. I let you rescue her, only to leave you in anguish when I take her back." Trhvmn taunted him.

"Let her go!" Saber ordered and released her sword, eminating her killing intent.

"Not this time. You friend here nearly killed me the last time we met." Taking his free hand he exposed his chest. In the middle near his heart was a wound that was still bleeding out of a deep gash. "If I can't heal this. Then it never will heal. I believe you owe me something for that. So I'm taking the girl." He grinned and jumped backwards out of the hole with Aiah hanging limply from his shoulder.

"AIAH!" Shirou ran after them. Saber tried to stop him before running through the flames but he batted her hand away and ran through the hole into the outside. The clean air free of smoke tickled his lungs as he looked around the grassy lawn. However he saw nothing, they had escaped. Shirou dropped to his knees and punched the ground. "Dammit!" He cursed and punched the ground.

Through the flames walked Saber. She ran to Shirou after seeing him on the ground, taking a look around herself she came to the conclusion that the two of them had escaped. Wordlessly she put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He's taking her to Aylesbury..." He said and shakily stood to his feet.

"We must talk with the others and let them know what happened." Saber said and began to lead him back inside.

Shirou took a look back through the flaming hole once back inside. Aiah had saved his life before, he couldn't just let it go like this. He felt he should have talked with her more this morning, perhaps if he had been in the room with her when it happened then perhaps there was something more he could have done.

()()()

"Dammit! What the hell were the guards doing?" Narbareck pounded on her desk once everyone was back inside her office. Sakura had a bandage on her forehead and had merely had a cut as well as a minor concussion.

"It was unexpected. Nobody could have predicted that the Dead could burst through the door like that." Arcueid said. She and Shiki reported that the guards had been killed by some Shisha that had been let in as a distraction.

"We have to leave now. All of us. Aiah cannot be killed, this absolutley must not be allowed. If she is killed in the ritual, then The Dark Six might possibly bring out the end of the world." She was very urgent to get there and get back. It had been quite some time since she'd seen some action, she was as eager as anyone to get out there and kill some Dead Apostles.

"So you're going with us then?" Rin asked.

"Yes, this is big enough that I may as well get involved directly. However our pilots were killed and I wanted to go in by helicopter." She sighed.

"Then there is no problem." Rider said, she had her hand on Sakura's shoulder to keep her awake.

"Rider is correct. She and I could both pilot the helicopter." Saber said in agreement. She was right too. There wasn't any vehicle in existance the two of them could not operate.

"Well if you can do it, then let's get going. We don't have any time left to waste." Without waiting for their answer, Narbareck stood up and headed out the door.

The others started to file out behind her. "Come on Sakura, we have to leave now." Rider said and lent used her shoulder to help Sakura up and down the hall.

Luckily the way to the garage was not destroyed or collapsed and they made their way to the helicopter that was parked inside. It has suffered a few minor dents but otherwise looked unharmed. They all piled inside it, Saber and Sakura taking the pilots in seats.

Soon they were in the air and headed towards Aylesbury.

"We're coming Aiah. Just hold on." Shirou muttered in the cramped helicopter. He didn't know what to expect within the dark city of Aylesbury, but he did know one thing. No matter what, he had to bring Aiah out of this alive.


	28. The Aylesbury Ritual

ACT XXVIII - The Aylesbury Ritual

Shirou sat in the helicopter next to Sakura who had miraculously managed to fall asleep dispite the roar of the rotors and she was leaning against him with her head on his shoulder. Rider and Saber were in the cockpit keeping an eye on the many instruments and lights on the controls. Narbareck was nearest to the door, she picked the phone from her pocket, hooked it to her ear and connected.

"Yumi, what's your position?" She pushed the earpiece closer so she could hear better. "Plans have changed. They have the girl." She answered, practically having to yell to make sure Ciel could hear her. "We're nearing the village now. I can see the anomaly." By "anomaly" Shirou guessed she meant the fact that the sky was becoming darker once they got near the city even though it was only the early afternoon. "Yes 'we'. I'm overseeing this operation personally." She said curtly.

Shirou tuned out Narbareck's conversation and looked out the window. He could see the town now, he couldn't see any cars on the road nor could he feel any presence anywhere. Normally when one nears civilization, one can sense there are other people around. However Shirou felt nothing, it was as if the village had been blanketed by a dark shroud that stifled and suffocated it.

Narbareck hung up with Ciel and stuck her head into the cockpit between Rider and Saber. "Head into the middle of town, there's a large park without any trees that would be a suitable landing area. Ciel is waiting for us there."

"As you wish." Both of them said strangely in unison and headed into town. Flying over the colonial houses near downtown as they headed for the large park in the middle. The hellicopter began to descend into the empty park.

Saber shut off the engine and Shirou lightly touched Sakura's back to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked drowzily up at Shirou.

"Mmn. Senpai? Are we there?" She asked tiredly.

"Yeah, we're there Sakura. Come on." Narbareck opened the door and was the first to jump out, followed by Shiki, Arcueid, and Rin.

"Maybe it was a mistake bringing Sakura, she still looks like she's in pain." Rin said to Narbareck.

"She'll be fine if she has you and Emiya to keep her going." Narbareck answered.

Rin glanced behind her to see Shirou helping Sakura walk. Rider and Saber exited the cockpit and jogged up to walk next to them.

"Where's that girl at?" Narbareck said to herself, and put her hands impatiently on her hips.

"Right here." Ciel jumped down from a streetlight near the road and approached them. "It's been some time since I've seen you without your desk in front of you. I almost forgot what the lower half of your body looked like." She smiled warmly. "It's good to see you all again." She added to everyone else.

"Hi Ciel!" Shiki greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Ciel." Rin said with a faint smile.

"Ciel! How are you?" Shirou asked as he approached with Sakura and the others.

"Ciel." Arcueid only nodded.

"Goodness. I had no idea I was missed that much." Ciel blushed slightly when everyone finished greeting her.

"Senpai, I think I'm alright now." Shirou nodded and let her walk on her own. Her dizziness seemed to have disippated and she was able to stand fine on her own.

"Take us to where you've been staying, we have things to talk about." Narbareck asked her.

"Of course, it's down the street this way." She started walking and the group followed her. "Keep your eyes open, there's been a lot of activity recently."

()()()

Deep within the basement of the Aylesbury Hotel, nestled on the outskirts of the north end of the village a knock was heard on the door leading down to what used to be the wine cellar.

"Come in." A deep voice answered.

"Lord Ortenrosse, there's been a development." The man said who entered the room.

"They've arrived haven't they? Hm, they didn't waste any time in coming after the girl." Trhvmn took a glance behind him at the unconcious girl on the dusty old couch in the basement. It was this girl that would bring about the end of humanity and pave the way for the children of the Moon.

"Yes. What are your orders?" The man bowed.

"The ritual will place tonight. Inform everyone." Trhvmn's smile could be seen brightly even in the darkness.

"Everyone, sir?"

"Everyone."

"As you wish." The man exited the room and closed the door behind him.

Trhvmn Ortenrosse turned around and faced the unconcious girl on the table. "It won't be long now." He said with a devious smile, showing the fangs in the corners of his mouth.

()()()

Across town on the south side of the village the group was sitting in the living room of an abandoned house.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Ciel asked them.

"I think I'll pass. Knowing you, by "something to eat" you mean curry." Narbareck crossed her arms.

Ciel stood silent, unable to argue.

"She has yet to realize that all that curry goes straight to her butt, I doubt she ever will either." Arcueid said as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ciel glared and stomped her foot in anger. "I don't want to hear that coming from you! Whatever you eat goes to your chest! My butt is not big at all compared to your oversized chest!" She growled with a red face.

Arcueid grinned. "I was modeled after the perfect human form." She raised her arms and cupped her breasts. "That means these must be perfect too. A human with a butt filled with curry couldn't possibly compare."

"That's enough Arc." Shiki said, narrowing his eyes at her. Whenever Arcueid and Ciel were together, there would always be some kind of a fight. At that moment he was thankful that Akiha wasn't there, or it would have been a lot worse.

"We should not be sitting around fighting each other. Aiah is in danger, we should be focusing on getting her away from the Dead Apostles." Saber said calmly.

"So what do we do then? Where could they possibly be keeping her?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. She could be anywhere. The only thing I can say is that I've seen a lot of Dead around the old Aylesbury Inn. However there's no way to be sure if she's really there or not." Ciel sat back down and pondered.

"We should split up and search the city." Rider suggested.

"It seems that's our only option, however it would be easy to be ambushed that way." Narbareck thought outloud.

"Ciel, you mentioned activity at the old Inn? Then that is where Shirou and I will investigate." Saber said, Shirou nodded in agreement.

"Work it out yourselves. Ciel, you stay with me. I have a couple of phone calls to make. Just make sure you all stay in touch." Narbareck ordered and ushered them out the door. The sun was starting to set, and soon night would fall.

"Shirou, the inn is on the opposite side of the village so we must hurry." Saber's body began to glow and she materialized her armor before starting to run as fast as she could.

Shirou ran next to her, not having any problems keeping up with her insane speed. The sun was setting above them, the already darkened sky was getting even blacker. Shirou began to feel a pressence as they neared the center of town. It was like a black sheet was wrapping his body in darkness. The pressure on his mind was that of death.

"Ciel here. Narbareck and I are searching the tunnels under the town. There's bound to be something interesting down here." Her voice crackled over the phone. Upon closer examination the headsets Narbareck gave them did have a push-to-talk feature so they could double as walkie talkies. Shirou never had time to examine them before so he didn't pay any attention before.

"This is Shiki. Arc, Merem and I are heading East." The groups reported in one at a time. Sakura, Rider, and Rin were heading to the West to investigate the abandoned office buildings that they flew over on the way in.

The sun sank below the horizon, bathing the town in a quiet darkness. Saber stopped running and looked around. "Shirou, stop." She said seriously, narrowing her eyes.

"What for? We're almost there." He asked and slid to a halt next to Saber.

"You can't feel it?" She asked with a surprised look on her face.

Was she talking about the pressure he was feeling on the back of his mind? "I feel something, but it must be just my uneasiness." He answered.

She shook her head. "That's wrong. We are not alone."

As he was about to answer her the ground shook as a loud explosion wracked his ears. A fireball shot into the air from the park where they landed.

"Shirou, I believe that was the helicopter." Saber looked towards the flames from the center of town and began to run towards it.

"Wait, Arturia!" He shouted after her and started to run as well. What did she think she was doing? They should be heading for the inn.

They neared the park which was now engulfed in flames from the explosion. Out of the flames sauntered numerous Dead along with a few lesser Dead Apostles brandishing makeshift weapons such as crowbars or pipes. Shirou counted ten Dead and three Apostles. The heat from the fire stung his eyes as he watched Saber dash fearlessly into the large group of enemies, decapitating three of the Dead with one strike.

After projecting a longsword into each of his hands he followed Saber into the fray, blocking a thick iron pipe from one of the Apostles with the sword in his hand. The earpiece he'd kept hooked to his ear crackled to life.

"Narbareck and I are currently engaged in the tunnels leading into the basement of the inn. I think they were waiting for us." Ciel said over the sound of metal clashing, by the sound of her voice, she was already fighting along with Narbareck.

Shirou stabbed one of the Dead as it came to attack him from behind, then turned to block the Apostle's blow again.

"Shiki here, we're heading back to lend you a hand." He said with urgency.

"Shiki, watch out! Dammit, they were waiting for us. How did they know we would split up?" Arcueid could be heard yelling over Shiki's phone.

"This is Rider, Sakura and I have just dispatched a small group. We are heading to assist you, Shirou." She said as calmly as ever.

Shirou kicked the Dead Apostle away, only having to block a crowbar from another one to his left. The flames danced around them as they fought. Saber had dispatched one of the Apostles after only exchanging two blows. As fast and agile as they were, Saber was a swordsman not many could hope to compare to.

"Things are going to hell. Everyone regroup in the center of town." Narbareck ordered over the phone.

As if on cue, even more Dead Apostles came out of the buildings. Shirou had never seen so many before and he and Saber were soon surrounded. The others definately wouldn't make it in time, Shirou could only hope that he and Saber could hold out. However the vampires didn't attack, they took positions blocking the exits. Shirou took a look at them, blood dripping from their mouths and eyes glowing as red as the fires of hell. The village wasn't deserted at all, it had completely been transformed into a city filled only with Dead Apostles and their Dead servants.

"Emiya Shirou. Welcome to Aylesbury." A voice echoed through the night air. The group of Apostles directly in front of him parted and in walked a group of oddly dressed men and women. As well as a little girl, followed by what looked like her bodyguards. Trhvmn Ortenrosse followed them, carrying Aiah in his arms. That means that the rest of them could only be Dead Apostle Ancestors as well.

Unfortunately, Saber's sword would be much use here. Even if they did take out everyone in front of them with Excalibur, there would be many more to deal with behind them. The same could be said for Shirou's Reality Marble, the Dead Apostles would surely not let him cast it as it required a long spell.

"Restrain them." Trhvmn ordered, and before they even had time to react six Apostles rushed forward to wrestle Shirou and Saber to their knees and immobilize them.

"This is the Counter Guardian that has been giving you so much trouble Ortenrosse?" A man clad in Black Iron armor stepped forward, a sword as his hip with a blade as red as the man's eyes and a serrated edge. He took a few steps towards Shirou, who only glared up at him. He drew his blade and pressed the point to Shirou's neck, drawing blood. "I could kill this worm right now and save you the trouble." He raised his arm.

"Stand down, Rizo." The little girl ordered. She could hardly be seen in the blackness, her dress was as black as the night itself and the only thing that stood out about her were her glowing eyes and her pale white skin. "He has interfered with our plans. I think he should stay alive at least to see the death of his friend. That's only fair, right?"

Saber struggled against the men holding her and glared at the man with his blade towards Shirou's neck.

"As you wish, Altrouge-sama." Reluctantly, the man called Rizo sheathed his sword and walked away. However after taking a few steps he spun around and brought his boot to Shirou's head.

Shirou's yelped in pain and his head spun as he was kicked hard in the head. He heard the bootfalls of Rizo walking away. He vaguely heard Saber yell his name and throw off the Dead Apostles restraining her.

She poured her magical energy into her sword and it began to glow brightly with a golden light. "EXCALIBUR!" She cried the name of the Holy Sword. Before she could bring the sword down however, a man had ran to her side at an insane speed. Grabbing her arms to stop her, he kneed her in the stomach then threw her to the ground and stomped his boot into her back. Saber lay on the ground in pain, unable to throw the man off.

"I would refrain from doing anything like that again if I were you Miss." He growled. His long white hair ran down his back and he was dressed in a shining white armor, as if he was the opposite of the other bodyguard.

Trhvmn pointed at the men who had previously been holding Saber. "Take a group and stall their friends. They should be getting close. They can't be allowed to interrupt us." The group of vampires nodded and then jumped onto the rooftops and ran off.

"Are we prepared yet? I have places to be, like back home for example." The female Ancestor said impatiently. Her flesh was grey and she was soaked head to toe with water. Whenever she took a step a quiet squishing noise could be heard from her shoes. Her crimson eyes didn't hold the same air as the others and her pupils were dialated.

"Watch your tone Sumire." The second female Ancestor said. She had long red hair tied to a single long ponytail that ran down her back and she wore a pair of thinly framed glasses. At first glance, one could guess she was the bookish type. "We have been waiting for some time for this, shouldn't you be a little more excited?"

"That's enough, both of you. We are on a time limit so we can't afford to be bickering right now." Altrouge barked. "Bring the girl. Lay her there." She ordered Trhvmn and pointed to a strange symbol on the ground. Shirou had passed it before, but didn't think anything of it he figured it was just a design that the men who build the town carved into the square.

The sounds of fighting could be heard closeby, it must be the others attempting to come to Shirou and Saber's rescue. Shirou could only hope that they would make it in time. A short clap of thunder was heard overhead and it started to rain gently.

"Let me go!" Aiah seemed to have woken up as Trhvmn carried her to the rune on the ground and she struggled frantically. There was no hope for her escape, however.

"Aiah!" Shirou called, struggling against his captors but he felt cold hands on the back of his head slam his face into the pavement causing his head to spin.

"Shirou?" She looked over at him before Trhvmn threw her to the ground.

"Altrouge, if you will." Trhvmn urged her to do something which Shirou knew could not be good. Right how he and Saber were helpless to stop them.

Altrouge stepped forward, raised her hand and began to chant in some ancient, forgotten language.

"It's a pity. You're such a beautiful young girl it's a shame you have to be killed for this." Trhvmn's eyes started to glow with a faint golden color as he neared her. Aiah was unable to run away, bound by the vampire's Mysitc Eyes.

"No..." Aiah whispered, completely terrified out of her mind.

Shirou and Saber began to struggle but their efforts were only met with their faces pushed further into the ground.

"No. No, nonononononono!" Aiah whimpered.

Trhvmn stood before her and raised his right arm. Aiah's scream was cut short as his hand mercilessly plunged into her chest, blood poured out soaking the vampire's arm. A loud crunch was heard coming from within Aiah's body. Trhvmn grunted and pulled back his arm, holding Aiah's heart in his hand. Deep crimson blood splashed onto the pavement and Aiah's limp body fell to the ground. Her face falling in Shirou's direction as if she was looking at him.

Shirou felt something in his head shatter, like shards of glass riddled the inside of his skull. How could this have happened? Always at the last minute he was able to pull through and save anyone. Even if he got into a bad situation, he was always able to pull ahead at the last second. Why? How could he let this happen? Aiah, who had saved his life was now dead and covered with blood on the ground in the small town of Aylesbury, England. He was not able to return her favor, before he noticed it his body had started to quiver both with anger, and with sadness.

Trhvmn threw the still bleeding heart into the center of the rune on the ground. The rune began to glow with a bright purple light as it reacted to Aiah's Magic Circuits and a deep rumbling sound could be heard deep underground.

Saber growled and tried to throw off Rizo who was still holding her. Only to be met with a stomp to her back, making Saber grunt in pain. "Stay still, or I'll kill you right here with or without Altrouge-sama's orders." Reaching behind his back he pulled out an antique Flintock pistol and pointed it towards Saber's head.

Altrouge stepped forward and drew a small knife out of her knee-high sock. "Careful Rizo, I admire your enthusiasm but I want them to see the end of humanity." She said with a small laugh and grasped the blade. With a swish she slid the blade from her hand, drawing her own blood. "The blood of the Crimson Moon himself flows within my veins. This should be enough of a catalyst." She held her hand over the glowing rune on the ground and squeezed her hand, causing the blood to flow further.

"I could have done it as well." Sumire huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Please. Your blood is practically 85% alcohol." The woman standing next to her said with a toothy smirk.

"Rita. Sumire. Behave yourselves." The man in shining armor spoke in a deep commanding voice.

The two of them fell silent and turned to watch just as the drop of blood from Altrouge's hand splash onto into the ground. The ground began to shake violently and cracks of glowing violet light rippled throughout the square like blood vessels.

"That's it then. You've lost, Emiya Shirou." Trhvmn said with a grim smile.


	29. Ressurection

ACT XXIX - Ressurection

"You've lost, Emiya Shirou." Trhvmn Ortenrosse's words rang in his head as the circular piece of stone in the center of the town square began to rupture and break. Shirou took a glance over at Saber and the two of them seemed to realize that they needed to get out of there, or they would both be killed. However struggling was useless, they both knew that already.

A hand burst up out of the center of the seal, fire bursting out along with it filling the area with intense heat. The fingers grasped the edge of the hole it had created, a man climbed out like a demon that had escaped hell. His long red hair blew in the wind, and his eyes were red like the color of blood. He wore an old Victorian-style tunic as well as a pair of trousers, his mouth opened to gasp for air and coughed up what looked like a thick cloud of dust or ash.

The other Ancestors watched the specticle with awe and admiration for the desheveled looking vampire that just crawled out from under the concrete. This old vampire had been sealed with a town built right on top of him.

"The Crimson Moon, where is he?" The ressurected vampire asked with a rhaspy voice, like a thousand tiny shards of glass were lodged in his throat. He surveyed the group of Ancestors, expecting one of them to come forward.

"Dead. He was killed by the Wizard Marshal several hundred years ago. I am his successor, Altrouge Brunestud." She approached him.

"Dead? Impossible." He said in disbelief, then took a glance at Altrouge. "Brunestud huh? Very well." He stood up and took a glance over at Shirou and Saber.

Shirou met his eyes, it felt like they were boring into his brain like an electric drill without mercy. Yet no words passed between them.

"Why have you not killed these two yet?" Six asked with annoyance, like looking at the two of them was the worst thing he'd ever done.

"Are you not hungry? You have been gone for quite some time." Trhvmn asked with surprise.

"They are not human. Kill them immediately." Six ordered.

"With pleasure." The White Knight that had Saber pinned cocked back the hammer on his Flintock pistol. Saber could do nothing but grit her teeth, expecting to feel the bullet pass through her skull.

A single gunshot rang through the courtyard.

"I don't think so."

The gun that had been pointed at Saber's head clattered to the ground, the knight holding her fell with a thud, blood flowing from a large hole between his eyes. In an instant, Saber had jumped up and dispatched the vampires holding Shirou with a single strike. The glanced at each other and began to run for one of the buildings. If they could jump up to the top then they had a chance to escape.

"After them, you fools!" Trhvmn shouted and every vampire in the area rushed after Shirou and Saber.

Altrouge's golden eyes were locked to the knight on the ground. "Fina?" She called his name and began to walk towards him. Her small shoes clatered along the broken stone ground. She had thought herself heartess for so long, so why was it that the knight on the ground nearly brought her to tears? "Fina?" She called again to the knight that had protected her for hundreds of years.

"Hey, over here you two." A voice called to Shirou and Saber from the rooftops. A few more gunshots were heard, sending a few of the vampires chasing the two of them falling to the ground.

Shirou saw a flutter of a red coat running on one of the opposite rooftops. "Enhance? Is that you?" Shirou called with surprise.

"If I knew you were throwing this kind of a party, I would have stopped by sooner." He grinned.

"Have you seen anyone else around? The others I came with, do you know where they are!" Shirou asked with concern.

"If you touched them..." Saber growled. She wouldn't put it passed Enhance to attack someone. He was after all a Dead Apostle Ancestor and needed to consume blood to stay alive, and she still didn't trust Enhance.

"Whoa, have some faith will ya? It was them who asked me to come and get you two. The humans in your group seemed to have been injured so they had to hault the rescue mission." Enhance explained.

"Take us to them, please." Shirou said urgently. If they were injured he want to see them as soon as possible.

"Where do you think I'm running to in the first place?" Enhance said and fired his gun back at the vampires following them on the rooftops.

"Shirou... I hope nothing serious has happened to them. If one of them was bitten..." Saber worried.

"I know, let's not think about that right now." They'd made a big mistake in coming so soon. However there was no going back now, what Shirou regretted most though was being completely helpless to save Aiah. She had been killed right in front of his eyes, he was right there yet he could do nothing. It was one of the worst feelings he'd ever felt, the feeling of helplessness.

Enhance stopped on the roof of a small house. "Your friends are on the third floor of that office building." He pointed a hand towards the east, near the business district of the town which was only a few streets away. The building itself was about 5 stories high and looked sturdy enough.

"You're not coming?" Shirou asked him.

He hefted the large .50 calibur handgun up and smiled. "Nah. The party is just getting started out here." He said with a short laugh.

"Thanks again." Shirou nodded. "Let's hurry Arturia." He said to her and jumped over to the next building and headed towards the street Enhance pointed them to. They entered the building, finding that it had no power so they were forced to take the stairs.

"Shirou..." Saber said with concern and pointed to the floor and the stairs. Large droplets of blood littered the ground, making a path further up the stairs.

The two of them ran up the stairs, their boots clattering noisily on the linoleum until they reached the third floor hallway. The trail of blood led to the end and then led to the right into the door there. They started to walk down the hallway, when the two of them got halfway down the door the blood led into flung open and Rin jumped out, pointing her finger at the two of them.

"Stop right there!" She demanded before she even saw the two of them. Rin's clothes were spattered with blood and she had a thin trail of it dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Rin, it's just us." Shirou assured her in a calming voice.

"Sh-Shirou?" She called as if she wasn't sure who it was. She started walking slowly and then Shirou realized that she was much more hurt that she had let them see.

"Rin!" Shirou ran towards her and supported her, Saber following close behind. Gently, he cupped her chin and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm fine." She said weakly and tried to push herself away from Shirou.

"You most certainly are not fine Rin." Saber narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, could you help me back? I'm a little tired." She looked up at Shirou and her eyes drooped. She must have lost quite a bit of blood.

"Idiot, what are you apologizing for?" He asked as he and Saber led her back to the room she'd jumped out of.

"Senpai! Saber-san!" Upon entering what looked like an office lounge they were greeted by a happy looking Sakura who had been sitting in the corner of the room with Rider. Sakura had sustained as much injury as Rin as she winced in pain and grabbed her side after greeting them.

"Sakura, please don't move too much." Rider placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders and urged her to sit back down.

Shirou set Rin down on the couch and took a look around the dark room. It seemed the only ones who weren't hurt in some way were Rider, Arcuied, and Merem. Narbareck was also nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Narbareck?" Shirou asked.

Ciel stood up from Shiki's side who was wrapping a bandage around his head which had a deep gash in it. "She's in one of the restrooms." Ciel didn't seem to want to explain anymore, but her face said she was glad to see Shirou.

"Is she hurt very badly?" He asked.

Ciel shook her head. "No but the battle..." Her voice trailed off as if she was searching for the right word. "...excited her a little too much." She finished.

Shirou didn't quite get what she meant, but decided to take her word for it anyway.

Saber meanwhile had taken a seat next to Rin on the couch and began to examine her.

"Stop that. I said I'm fine!" She protested as Saber gently began to raise up her shirt to check the wound on her stomach.

Shirou walked over and took a seat next to Sakura. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'll be alright. Where is Aiah-san?" Sakura asked as she looked around the room.

Shirou's expression dropped at her question. He didn't want to say the words. He himself hadn't come to terms with it yet, so there was no way he could say those words until then.

"Oh." Sakura seemed to realize the position he was in. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Senpai." She said with a soft, comforting voice.

"Yeah. Me too." He looked up at Sakura's worried expression and smiled. He raised his hand and patted her head. "Get some rest, okay?" He got up and started to walk away but turned around to face Rider. "You too." He smiled and then walked over to check on Shiki, Arcueid, Ciel, and Merem.

"Hey Shirou. Sorry we couldn't make it." Shiki said apologetically.

"We're just glad you're alright." Arcueid said with a smile.

At that moment Narbareck walked into the room and sat on a chair, heaving a deep sigh.

"Narbareck, are you alright?" Shirou stood up and asked her.

She looked up at him and blew the hair out of her eyes. "Of course not. We're stuck in a town completely overrun with Dead Apostles and almost every living Ancestor is here as well. Worst of all, I only have three Black Keys left." She complained. "Where is Ms. Cromwell?" She looked around the room. When she didn't see Aiah she deduced what happened. "I see. That's just great." She said cynically.

"Narbareck, please. We have done everything we could. Should we not be focusing our efforts on eliminating The Dark Six now that he has been summoned?" Saber stopped Narbareck. Her words could only make Shirou feel worse, the last thing they needed right now was a depressed Counter Guardian.

"Saber, why do you think The Dark Six was sealed and had a town built on top of him in the first place? He is the first Dead Apostle, and is ranked number two. Not much has been recorded as far as his powers go, but before he was sealed he was able to reproduce Dead Apostles and an alarming rate. Almost to the point of taking over the entire world. If you have any suggestions relating to the defeat of this monster, than please by all means share them." Narbareck's hope seemed to have been lost. It didn't seem like she'd given up per se, rather that she had no options left that she could see.

"If we're going to fight someone like that, shouldn't we find out as much as we can first?" Shiki suggested.

"Of course. But that's easier said than done. Do you really think he'll let us get close enough to eavesdrop on him?" Narbareck crossed her arms.

"What about my familiars? They've made good spies in the past." Rin weakly suggested as she sat up.

"You're in no condition to be using any extra magical energy right now." Narbareck dismissed her.

"That's not true. I have plenty left, and my familiars don't take much to make." Rin insisted. "If there's something I can do, I want to do it. Even if I'm injured, I don't have to move around much to watch a familiar." She added.

Narbareck thought for a moment. "If you think it will help, by all means do so. But we can't afford to have them find us here right now, especially with the injured. So make sure that your familiar can under no circumstances be traced back here." Narbareck said seriously.

"Rin, are you sure you're going to be alright with this?" Shirou asked. Rin didn't look too good, it was only natural to worry about her if she even thought of using any kind of energy. In her condition she could be resting, but if it was their only option all he could do was keep a close eye on her.

"Idiot. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I wasn't willing to do it." She smiled slightly.

"Arcueid-sama. If you wish I could leave and try to gather some information by myself. My stature is very small, so it would be easier for me to get around unnoticed." Merem suggested.

"I don't have any problem with it. Do what you want, Merem. Just be careful out there okay?" Arcueid smiled and patted his head.

Merem didn't seem to enjoy it too much as he puffed out a cheek, which really made him look like a child. "Then I shall leave right away."

"Be sure to keep in touch. I believe my phone still works." Narbareck said as Merem stood up.

"As you wish. I'll let you know if I find anything." With a small flutter of his clothing he silently exited the door.

Shirou sat on the couch opposite the one Rin was laying on. They're plan wasn't very impressive, but it was all they had at the moment. They should probably be looking for transportation out of the city as well. They were horribly outnumbered and outmatched as it was, as powerful as they were the group would surely be defeated if they tried to take out the Dead Apostle Ancestors as a group. Shirou would not allow another person to die, even if it meant sacrificing his own life. There were too many people he cared about, if he lost someone else he wasn't sure he could take it.

"Shirou?" Saber got up from Rin's side and sat next to Shirou, calling his name to make sure that he was alright.

"It never gets any easier, Arturia." He sighed.

Saber eased herself closer to Shirou and embraced him. "It is not something that we are meant to get used to." She said softly and began to stroke his hair.

"There must have been something more I could have done." He lamented.

"If there was, then you would have done so. I am confident in that." She reassured him.

"..." Shirou didn't look convinced.

Saber brought her hands to his cheeks and gently cupped them. "Shirou, what we must focus on now is to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. Things may look bad now, but we shall overcome just as we always have. Together." She gently kissed his forehead. "Did I not once tell you that if you have no chance of victory, that I will make one? That goes for your feelings as well. If you should fall, I will be there to pick you up." She smiled.

"Thanks, Saber." Her words perked him up a little and gave him a new confidence.

She nodded. "Please get some rest, you have had a very trying day."

"Everyone else should be resting as well. Tohsaka, you are forbidden to prepare a familiar until tomorrow at the least. I don't need your blood on my hands as well. The Magi Association would have me killed for losing someone like you." Narbareck said. "Ciel, Saber, and I will keep watch. So you can relax for now." They would have to be careful as the Dead Apostle Ancestors would now be tearing the city apart looking for them. They had the advantage of numbers as well as strength right now. If they were going to survive to fight another day, they would have to completely change the way they moved. If one vampire managed to report their position then it was all over.

"Rider." Narbareck called.

The long haired woman looked up at the surprise break in the silence of the room. "Yes?"

"Make sure you change Sakura's bandage. She was bleeding quite a bit."

"Of course." Rider answered softly.

Sakura stirred as she was sleeping on Rider's lap. "Mm... Fujimura-sensei... you're not supposed to put soy sauce on that..." She mumbled almost incoherently.

Rider and Narbareck looked at each other and then started to giggle as quietly as they could manage. Almost everyone had fallen asleep, hopefully they all would be able to rest peacefully tonight. Who knew how many more nights they would have to spend fighting from here on out. From now on they were fighting for their very survival, they'd been effectively cut off from the rest of the world, with no one to rely on but each other. The town of Aylesbury had become a battlefield, and at the moment that had no idea what the enemy's plans were now that The Dark Six had been successfully brought back. Would the Ancestors leave elsewhere? Or would they stay in Aylesbury for the time being and hut them all down? Only time will tell.


	30. The Crusaders

ACT XXX - The Crusaders

In the dusty, dark basement of the Aylesbury Inn a woman's scream could be heard. She didn't know this, but she was the last living resident of Aylesbury. She had survived the last couple of days by hiding in her attic, however that didn't matter anymore. The only thing she felt now was the searing pain of the white fangs piercing her caroted artery, and the soft lips of the strange man who was biting into her neck and swallowing whatever blood flowed out. The woman's arms fell limp after just a minute and her eyes glazed over. The man dropped her like one would drop a bag of trash, completely drained of all blood.

"That's a bit better." His voice that had been parched and dry now came out clearly.

"Brother Six, we should be hunting down the Counter Guardians and the True Ancestor." Trhvmn said. The group was stuck in the city now, no doubt hiding from them as they spoke. If they eliminate them now, then nothing stood in their way.

"No one is to kill Arcueid but me." Altrouge said menacingly.

"Yes, yes. We're all aware of your vandetta, Altrouge." Rita waved her hand dismisively.

"Now is not the time for that. They will not attack, what's more they are stuck in the village with no way to escape and they travel with humans who are close to them, that will be their downfall for they are unwilling to see them hurt. They are but cockroaches under our feet, we need not worry about them." Six practically laughed as he spoke. Humans are foolish, that is why they must be exterminated or merely used as food for the Children of the Moon.

"You should at least get some new clothes. You look like shit." Sumire said matter-of-factly.

Six glanced down at his clothing. "If you insist. I'll leave it to the two of you." He pointed at both Sumire and Rita. Six didn't particularly care what he looked like, but since Sumire offered he figured he may as well get them to pick something up more suited for the time.

They both cast a side glance at each other.

"Please, try and refrain from killing each other." Rizo said from the corner next to Altrouge.

"No promises." Rita said as she and Sumire left.

"And now we wait." Six said with a slight smirk on his face.

"Why must we wait? There is no doubt in my mind that Narbareck has called for assistance, should we not move?" Rizo asked.

The Dark Six laughed. "Of course not. That woman calling for help is exactly what I'm counting on."

"And if the True Ancestor or the Counter Guardians show themselves as well?" Rizo asked again.

"I am confident that will not happen. They won't leave their injured companions alone. Even if they do show themselves we outnumber them. It will not be an issue." Six explained.

"Have a little faith Rizo, I'm sure that when all is said and done my dear Nee-san's head will be sitting on my mantle back home." Altrouge said. "I am just as eager to avenge Fina as you are." She added softly.

"Faith or not, I am going for a walk." Rizo stood up from his chair and began to walk towards the door. He would not persue the Counter Guardians and their group just as The Dark Six had suggested, however after the death of his companion he needed to clear his head.

Altrouge's eyes lit up like she'd just seen something interesting. "I'll go with you." She called after Rizo and hopped off of her chair, her shoes landing with a soft clacking noise. She trotted over next to him and the two of them left together.

Rizo left the inn and stepped out onto the dark, quiet streets. Altrouge was by his side, barely three feet tall with her long hair blowing in the wind. She glanced up at him as he smelled the air, which had the wonderful smell of fresh blood lingering faintly. The sky was still dark, even though it was mid-day and the air was noticably colder, Rizo guessed it had something to do with Six's power. If so it would be quite convenient, they were very weak during the day but if Six could block out the sunlight then it would be possible to move anywhere at any time.

Rizo started walking, not really caring if Altrouge followed him or not, even though he found her tiny footfalls behind him to be somewhat comforting. He hoped that their enemies were suffering as much at the loss of their companion as Rizo was. He and Fina had known each other for hundreds of years, he was like a brother to him. If he couldn't find and kill the Counter Guardians and the True Ancestor than he could at least kill that traitor of a Dead Apostle Ancestor. It was him who had fired the shot that killed Fina.

Rizo didn't have a destination, he just wanted to walk freely for a while. There should be a few search parties running around made up of minor Dead Apostles scouring the city for wherever the True Ancestor and the Counter Guardians were hiding out, however Rizo never ran into a single one.

"You saw something didn't you?" Rizo looked back at the girl following him and asked her. The way she had looked at him before she started following him was unlike her usual self. This usually only happened when one of the 27 were going to be put in danger.

"Yes. If you go out alone, you're going to be killed." Altrouge answered.

"Whatever your visions say, I think I can handle that bastard." Rizo clenched his fist.

"If he were the type that fights fair, then I would be inclined to agree with you. However Enhance, is a trickster and a backstabber. Someone like you wouldn't do well against someone like that." A faint smile crossed her lips. His determination was something that she admired.

"Hmph." Was all he said as he continued to walk down old cobblestone street with Altrouge following close behind.

()()()

A tiny bell above the glass door dinged as it was opened and two women entered the empty clothing store. No one greeted them however, because the store was completely empty.

"This is it?" The first woman said as she took a look around the store from the doorway.. She had a bottle of vodka in her hand that was half drained and a red tint in her cheeks. She didn't look thrilled, but in fact she was glad to just be out doing something rather than sitting in that dusty basement with Six. Besides, he needed some new clothing anyway. However the store was relatively small, and didn't have a wide variety of name brands.

"Aylesbury is quite small so they wouldn't need anything extensive." The second woman said as she adjusted her glasses and began to rifle through the shirts hanging on the racks.

"Heh, always have to be the smartass, don'cha?" She said after drinking a mouthful of vodka.

"Sumire, being a smartass has nothing to do with it. I have common sense because my brain is not pickled from decades of being an alcoholic." She chuckled slightly, and picked up a red t-shirt to take a closer look at it. "I think red would be a good color for him." She said, brushing Sumire off nonchalontly.

The vein in Sumire's forehead popped out and she clenched the bottle of vodka she was holding by the neck. "You better watch what you say, you nerdy little bi-!" She started to say through clenched teeth however she was interrupted by a long, thin piece of metal shattering the glass in the front of the store along with the bottle of alcohol in her hand before sticking to the back wall of the store.

Both Sumire and Rita hit the floor and took cover as the blade pierced the wall with a loud thunk. Rita looked up at it to see what it was, she reached a hand up and touched it. However she was met with a bright flash of light and an intense pain rushing from the tips of her fingers all the way up her arm. Rita quickly withdrew her hand.

"Sumire, it's a Black Key." She reported.

"Shit, it can't be the Burial Agency." Sumire said and glanced at the puddle of vodka on the ground.

"To thee, we ask aloud... Who art thou?" A voice blew in on the wind and a man in a black trenchcoat stepped into view. He was unarmed until he made a jerking motion with his arms and two Black Keys slid from his sleeves and into his hands.

"We are the 8th Sacrament!" Three more men in trenchcoats stepped into view, also arming themselves with Black Keys from their sleeves. "The Legion of the Holy Church! Exterminators of heresy!" The men chanted in unison.

"Now I ask of thee.. What is it thou hast clenched in thy right hand?" The man who appeared first shouted as he raised his arm and pointed a Black Key into the building.

"We're clutching the dagger!" The other men answered back, also raising a single arm clutching a Black Key.

"Then, I ask of thee... What doth thou grasp firmly in thy left hand?"

"The Holy Cross!" The men chanted back. More of them seemed to be answering the calls then the two girls could see in the front of the store.

"Sounds like a whole army of them out there." Rita said after peeking out her head from behind one of the clothing racks.

"Lo and behold!" The first man said as he hurled a Black Key at Rita's face which she easily dodged and pressed herself back against the wall.

"They sure like to talk." Sumire said in annoyance. The sudden appearence of these men seemed to have made her forget about Rita for the time being.

"Then let's shut them up." Rita smirked and pulled a dagger out of each of her boots.

Sumire laughed. "About damn time. Those assholes spilled my drink." She cracked her knuckles.

The two of them bolted out of their respective hiding spots at the exact same time and rushed towards their attackers, jerking left and right to avoid the rain of Black Keys that was coming towards them. It took only a second to reach the army of attackers. Rita jumped in the air right between two of them and decapitated them with her knives causing a gyser of blood to spew forth. Rita looked at it longingly, she wanted to bathe in the warm, sweet lifeblood. Unfortunately there were more important things to think about right now.

Sumire neared one of the men who stabbed at her with his Black Key, however she bent backwards like she was about to fall over like a drunk and easily dodged it. Performing a backwards cartweel she kicked the weapon out of his hand and landed back on her feet. The man glared at her and she jumped into the air, kicking him in the chest so hard he coughed up a bit of blood and flew into several men behind him, knocking them all over. That was The Dead Apostle Ancestor Sumire's normal fighting style: Drunken Boxing. An odd martial art designed to confuse opponents with drunkard-like movements and powerful attacks.

The two women ended up back to back after their respecive fights.

"Now that you've killed one, I think I can take them from here." Sumire grinned as the men began to surround them.

Rita laughed. "You would get tired after about 20 and pass out."

"How about a race then?" Sumire smirked, her lip curling and revealing a sharp fang in the corner of her mouth.

"Divide them in half. First one to kill their side wins?" Rita raised one of her daggers and licked the blood from it's blade.

"You're on." Sumire nodded as the men raised their Black Keys at the two of them.

Rita flipped her daggers so the blades faced towards her. "Let's begin."

()()()

Rizo and Altrouge reached the outskirts of the city. They hadn't seen a soul, not even another Dead Apostle or any Dead. Rizo thought it was a bit strange. He got an eerie feeling and stopped in his tracks, hearing Altrouge's footfalls behind him stop as well. Rizo saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he jerked his head to one of the alleyways in between the buildings. By his side, Altrouge narrowed her eyes and remaind silent, listening.

Rizo drew his blade from the sheath at his hip and clutched the grip tightly. As he turned around he heard two shots from a gun come from the alley he was just looking at. He was glad his reflexes were so quick. He was able spin his sword to deflect the bullet coming for him, and the bullet coming for Altrouge, leaving them both unharmed. Turning his body quickly he was able to catch a glympse of a red coat fluttering back into the alleyway out of sight.

"Bastard. How dare he." Gritting his teeth, Rizo ran after the assailant.

"Hey wait, didn't you hear what I said earlier?" Altrouge called after him. He kept running, making her puff out her cheek in annoyance. "Idiot." She mumbled and then began to run after him.

Rizo ran into the alleyway, sprinting after the person who shot at him and Altrouge. Skidding around a corner he saw movement above him, he looked up and found himself staring up the barrel of a large silver gun. The barrel flashed as the gun was fired, Rizo raised his sword just in time for the bullet to connect with the blade, causing it to split down the middle and branch off in different directions. Rizo growled as the man ran to the other side of the roof of the building he had fired from. No doubt about it, it was Enhance.

He bent his knees and jumped, easily clearing the top of the one story building and his feet landed firmly on the roof.

"Yo. How's it goin?" Enhance greeted him as he landed, pointing his Holy Scripture straight at Rizo's head. Enhance's white hair almost completely covered his eyes but Rizo didn't need to see them to know he was going to try and kill him.

"You killed a good friend of mine." Rizo glared and clenched his sword tighter. The distance between them was about 10 meters which was all either of them needed to get in a surprise killing blow. If either of them let their guard down for a second, then it was over.

"Oh, you knew that guy? I didn't know that. I've killed so many vampires it gets hard to keep track." He said with a smirk and raised his right arm, pulling the large sword from his back, all the while keeping the gun pointed at Rizo.

"You bastard. I'll kill you for your betrayal." Rizo growled through gritted teeth.

"Let's dance." Enhance barely had time to finish his sentence before Rizo rushed at him.

Rizo's sword went straight to the traitor's neck to cleave his head from his shoulders, but it was met with a shower of sparks and a clash of metal as it the blow was blocked by Enhance's Demonic sword. Rizo was sent flying back by a swift, but powerful kick to the stomach.

Rizo righted himself in mid-air and landed on his feet, only to be met with a hail of bullets as he stood up straight. Rizo's blade turned into a blur as he whipped his sword around and deflected the shots nearest him.

Enhance fired his weapon once more before backflipping off the roof of the building onto the street below.

Rizo merely had to tilt his head slightly to avoid it, the bullet only hitting a bit of his hair. He ran after Enhance and jumped off the building as well. Running right passed Altrouge who had just caught up with them.

She turned around barely to see them run into a side street, Enhance firing his gun at Rizo who twisted and jumped to the side to dodge the bullets. "Damn these short legs." Altrouge complained and followed them. "Honestly, even though I told him not to." She said to herself.

Rizo chased Enhance down the street, who was surprisingly fast for even an Ancestor. Running as fast as he could he began to gain on the young vampire. Rizo jumped high into the air and brought his sword down on Enhance's head. However Enhance skidded to a halt and rolled out of the way, jumping up to his feet and quickly swinging his sword at Rizo, who raised his own sword to block the blow.

They stood facing each other, eyes locked in a deadly stare. Without a moment's noticed the two rushed towards each other, their blades clashing loudly in a rain of sparks between them. Jumping away from each other Enhance charged towards Rizo the second his feet hit the ground and swung his sword full force at Rizo's torso.

Rizo gripped his sword with both of his hands and swung. A crash filled the air as the swords collided. All the two of them were doing so far was trading blows. The jumped back from each other again, both of them irritated at their lack of progress in the fight.

A flash of light came from the top of a nearby building, blinding the two enemies on the ground. Rizo felt something long and heavy dig into his arm and burn severely. He gritted his teeth in pain, and within a few moments the light dwindled and his vision returned to normal. He looked at his left shoulder and saw a Black Key lodged deeply within his flesh.

Even Enhance looked surprised and he stopped his attack.

Rizo grunted as he quickly grabbed the weapon in his arm and pulled it out. Looking all around him he noticed figures standing on the tops of all the houses lining the street. "Where did they come from?" He wondered aloud to himself.

"Tch." Enhance clucked his tongue in annoyance and pointed his sword at the people lining the tops of the buildings. "Hey, who invited you guys?" He asked.

The men said nothing, however numerous Black Keys slid from their sleeves, the faint light shining off of them.

"So that's how it's going to be huh?" Enhance raised his gun at one of the men. Without a moment's hesitation he fired, the bullet burrying itself between the eyes of one of the men, who fell off the roof with a thud as he hit the ground. As if it was some kind of cue, Enhance began to run towards the opposite street knowing that instead of chasing after him, they would most likely deal with Rizo first.

Rizo clutched his arm. "Coward." He called after Enhance, who had already passed the next row of houses. About five of the men jumped off the roof and ran passed Rizo in the direction Enhance was going while the rest stayed. He heard the sound of gunfire behind him but payed it no mind.

"You are judged heretic." One of the men began to say. "Your mere existance is an affront to the Lord, therefore you and your kind will be exterminated." One by one they jumped off of the roofs and onto the ground and began to approach Rizo. Their uniforms were different than the Burial Agency's. They did not wear priest robes, but black trenchcoats with what looked like kevlar vests underneath, combat boots, and a large golden cross around each of their necks.

"The 8th Sacrament then?" He pondered to himself and raised his sword. He was debating himself if he should retreat or not. However that was unbecoming of a knight and also of the last guardian of the Black Princess. He shook the thought off and waited for more of the men to come within his reach. Rizo backed up slightly.

One of the men still on top of the buildings threw a Black Key towards Rizo who jumped back to avoid it. That signaled the start of the fight and Rizo rushed into the 10 or so men that were on the ground, cleaving the first one in two with a horizontal strike from his sword. He'd been counting since they appeared, he estimated there were about 50 men total there. What kind of force must they have to waste 50 men to go after one Dead Apostle Ancestor?

Rizo parried a Black Key coming for his head and kicked away the man who swung it before jumping over another and bringing down his sword to cleave him in half vertically right down the middle. His body fell to the ground, bathing the street in blood. Immediatly spinning around he removed the arm of another man. As well equipped as they were, they were still human, Rizo's skills would always be beyond theirs. However they were making up for their lacking with numbers.

A Black Key thrown from one of the rooftops pierced his leg. He could practically feel the Holy Magic being forced into him by the conceptual weapon and it drove him too his knees. He pulled out the weapon and threw it at one of the men on the rooftops who was stabbed in the chest with it and fell backwards. More men jumped down from the rooftops and instead of throwing Black Keys, joined the front of the assault to help their comrades.

Rizo cut down another member of the Sacrament only to be tripped by one behind him and stabbed through the chest with a Black Key on the way to the ground. Coughing up blood. Luckily it had barely missed his vital organs, however he knew that this could be the end. Upon hitting the ground he rolled to the side, avoiding the second Black Key coming for his heart. Pulling out the blade in his back and throwing it back to the man that stabbed him, impaling him through the head and killing him instantly, he hopped to his feet and began to retreat a bit.

He parried a Key thrown at him with his sword and easily cut down a man who tried to rush at him and finish him off. Several more rushed at him, their weapons raised in the air. Rizo blocked the first and cut his neck with his sword, dropping the Sacarament member. Kicked the second one aside, he impaled the third through his chest and quickly removed the blade. Several more Keys were thrown at him from the rooftops, several Rizo managed to block however he was sloppy and one got by him and imbedded itself into his other leg.

He bent down to remove it but couldn't as he had to fend off more charging Sarcrament members as well as deflect more Keys being thrown at him. "Dammit." He cursed and dispatched men that charged him from his knees. If he stood up he would tear his muscles, making it impossible for him to move at all without destroying his leg. The Sacrament was giving him no time to remove the blade from his leg, and the pain it caused only increased. His auto-healing also would not kick in with the blade still inside his body.

Another blade was thrown and pierced his shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain. He'd have to use his sword with just one hand until he had a chance to pull it out. He'd made a big mistake and underestimated the Sacrament, now it was going to cost him. The men began to move in slowly, they knew he couldn't move much from where he was.

"Do you know how many of us you have killed today heathen?" One of them asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was about twenty-five." Rizo answered calmly.

"Exactly." He nodded and grabbed one of his Black Keys.

Rizo started to chuckle lightly. "I should have listened to her. I'm a fool." He said to himself, not mentioning Altrouge by name for fear of revealing any information.

"I now purify this evil in the name of our Lord. Amen." The member of the Sacrament raised his Key.

Rizo closed his eyes, waiting to feel the sting of the blade severing his flesh. He lamented not heeding Altrouge's warning, then again he had assumed she was talking about Enhance killing him. He never expected something like this. He wondered if The Dark Six knew about it. Even if he didn't, he would probably find out eventually. If he had a final wish, it would be that Altrouge made it out of this alive. He would be a failure to if his death didn't lead to her survival. Rizo let out a breath, both of his legs were useless as long as the Keys were still buried in them, as were his arms. All he could do now, was wait. Perhaps he would be meeting Fina again soon, that thought gave him a bit of ease and comfort.


	31. Eyes of a Demon

ACT XXXI - Eyes of a Demon (Part 1)

The blow Rizo was waiting for never came.

"Hey, get up you idiot. I'm not letting you get killed by these dogs."

Rizo opened his eyes to find Altrouge standing in front of him with the body of the man that was about to kill him at her feet, his neck twisted. The other men of the 8th Sacrament looked taken aback. She had come in so suddenly and silently that none of them could remember from even which direction she'd come from. Before he knew it, she was at his side pulling the Black Keys from his body.

"You should leave me here." Rizo said with a pained voice after she had pulled the last blade out of him.

"Nonesense. You think I came alone?" She said with a smirk.

"You don't think I want to rule the world with myself as the only Ancestor do you? That would be quite boring." The Dark Six stepped into view in the middle of the street. The Sacrament had completely stopped moving to evaluate their situation. Many of them looked uneasy or afraid at fighting three Dead Apostle Ancestors at once.

"You called him?" Rizo asked as he shakily stood to his feet after first retrieveing his sword.

"Did you forget that I'm telepathic?" Altrouge laughed.

Rizo hadn't forgotten. He did not think she would use it for something like this.

"Miss Brunestud, get him out of here. I will take care of this trash myself." Six stepped in front of Altrouge as she grabbed Rizo's hand and led him in the direction of the street behind them.

"Do you think you can kill all of us, bloodsucker?" One of the men from the Sacrament shouted after Altrouge led Rizo away.

Six began to chuckle, within the first few seconds it turned into full blown laughter. "Kill you? Who said anything about killing you?" He said while laughing.

Every member of the Sacrament pulled a Black Key from their trenchcoats and with a yell began to charge the single Dead Apostle Ancestor head on.

"You dare raise your weapons at me? Behold my power!" Six's eyes began to glow. Not the normal golden color a vampire's eyes took when they activated the circuits within them, Six's eyes flashed with every color in the rainbow as he glared at the men charging him. The very second his eyes made contact with the men they stopped in their tracks. They began to moan in pain in unison, sounding like the demons of hell howling for blood. Their eyes rolled back into their heads and they all dropped their weapons and fell to the ground, motionless.

Six strolled over to the nearest man and kneeled down to examine his black, leather trenchcoat. After a moment he non-chalontly ripped off his own shirt, exposing his pale but well toned muscles to the dark air. Grabbing the man's trenchcoat from his body he shook the extra Black Keys from the hooks on the inside and then put on the coat. Nodding with satisfaction he stood up, the breeze fluttering through his newfound garment.

The men on the ground began to stir. Some of them were on their knees while some were able to stand. The men had changed, their eyes had turned from their natural color to a shade of red and in the corner of their mouths were a pair of sharp fangs. Many of the men clutched at their throats, now thirsty as though they had not drank in several days. Many more coughed, their lungs feeling dry.

Six turned around to observe them and smiled. "Gentlemen..." He held out his arms in a warm greeting. "No doubt you are getting used to your new bodies. You are no longer what you would call... human. I have given you more. Strength, speed, and power. You are an existance above that of humanity." The men looked up at him from wherever they were standing or sitting. "You may feel an unquenchable thirst now, that thirst is quenched by consuming the blood of the living. Humans are beneath you now, to be used for nothing more than food or pleasure. You are to crush them beneath your feet whenever you meet them, this world is yours for the taking. Do you understand?" Six asked.

"Yes, my Lord!" They all shouted in unison, raising their fists in the air. Not only were the men of the 8th Sacrament changed in body, but the men that met the piercing stare of The Dark Six were changed in mind as well.

"Very good." Six smiled widely. "We are a legion that will wrap the Earth in a shroud of darkness. The only light that we are meant to see is the light of the moon. Gentlemen... Welcome to the Legion of Blood."

"Legion! Legion! Legion!" The men chanted loudly.

"Now then. Go and cleanse the city of any other members of the 8th Sacrament you find sneaking around. You are free to feed to your heart's content, however you are to also capture as many prisoners as possible and bring them to the basement of the Inn." He ordered them off, and pointed to one individual. "You. Locate Sumire and Rita Rozay-en, two more of your comrades. Tell them to return to me as soon as possible. I have things to discuss with them." He ordered.

The newly created vampires scurried off with very little sound. The Dark Six himself looked up at the dark sky and smiled. "And so it begins." He said proudly and began to walk casually in the direction Altrouge had led Rizo.

Watching from the bushes nearby was a pair of small blue eyes, belonging to what looked like a small boy. He had a very desturbed look on his face as he had been watching from the bushes for quite some time. His eyes turned upward to an owl circling above the area in which the battle had taken place.

"Miss Tohsaka, I suggest you cut your ties with that since I will be heading back. Things look worse than we thought." The boy said and sprinted off in the opposite direction, carefully making sure that he was not being followed.

()()()

The moon could be seen outside the dusty window of the abandoned building. Looking out the window was Shirou. Saber was sleeping soundly against his shoulder, her breathing even. He had to practically force her to sleep since she insisted on keeping watch, but she had the night before as well. Shirou couldn't stand that so he insisted, saying he'd buy her a treat the first chance he got.

Shiki was playing a card game with Ciel and Arcueid in the corner, his head injury seemed to be clearing up okay. Which was good because he was eager to get this whole thing over with so he could get back home.

Rin was laying on the couch across from Shirou, she was in some kind of a trance ever since she sent her familiar out the window to follow Merem as he patrolled. Shirou guessed she must be sharing her senses with her familiar through some kind of spell. He was keeping a close eye on Rin as she was the one that seemed to be hurt the worse. Sakura had changed her bandages once since they had been at the hotel, but she refused to let Shirou look at her to check the healing process all the while assuring everyone that she was fine.

Rider and Sakura had both fallen asleep as well. It was early in the evening still but they needed to sleep as much as possible to recover. Sakura was injured badly as well, however Rider had been taking exceptional care of her by herself. Rider had probably went to sleep to conserve the magical energy she was consuming from Sakura, even if it was only a little compared to Sakura's incredibly vast mana storage.

Narbareck was slumped over a chair, looking completely bored. "Keep that closed Emiya." She said. She was sitting in the chair backwards, with her legs wrapped around the back and her arms crossed on top of it.

Shirou nodded and closed the curtain within reach of the couch, careful not to jostle Saber too much.

Rin stirred on the couch across from him. Her eyes returned to normal and she stretched out her body. "Jeeze, I hate doing that. I always feel so stiff afterwards." She complained and rubbed a kink in the back of her neck.

"Welcome back, Rin." Shirou greeted her.

"Mn, thanks." She said as she straightened her hair out a bit.

"What did you find out Tohsaka?" Narbareck asked.

"Hold on. Merem should be almost here. I want to wait for him, he might understand it more than I do." Rin replied as she began to rub one of her shoulders. After a few seconds she sighed deeply. She looked over at Shirou and blushed, wordlessly she got up and sat next to him on the couch with her back to him.

"Are you feeling alright?" Shirou tilted his head in confusion.

"N-no I'm not. My shoulders are stiff." She said in an almost angry sounding voice.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" Shirou asked. By now he figured out what she had in mind, but it wouldn't be any fun to go along with her right away.

"I want you to massage them a little bit. Idiot." She turned her head and glared at him.

"Oh, that's all? Why didn't you say so earlier?" He grinned and rubbed his hands together to make them warmer. He gently leaned Saber back so she'd stay in place and gently placed his hands on Rin's shoulders. Rin grabbed her hair and moved it away from his shoulders. Arcueid and Shiki looked up from their card game at Rin and Shiki chuckled slightly.

"Shirou, you idiot..." She mumbled softly as Shirou's fingers began to dig into the tense muscles in her shoulders.

The door to the room opened and Merem Solomon walked in, closing the door behind them. He looked around the room and saw how many of the group was sleeping. He turned to Rin, who was still being massaged by Shirou.

"Miss Tohsaka?" Merem called out to her.

Tohsaka squeaked and slapped Shirou's hands away while fixing her hair in one fluid motion.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked confused.

"Don't worry about it Merem. Was there something you wanted to tell us?" Arcueid stood up, looking curious.

Merem bowed to her politely. "Yes, but I think everyone should be wide awake for what Miss Tohsaka and I have seen."

As he bowed Arcueid frowned. "I wish you would stop doing that. I'm no princess anymore."

Merem began to argue with Arcueid on the fact that she still was a princess even though she was the last True Ancestor. However Shirou had tuned them out to turn to Saber. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gently shook her.

Saber slowly opened her emerald eyes, blinked a couple of times then looked over at Shirou after yawning cutely. "Has something happened Shirou?" She asked groggily after brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, Rin and Merem came back. It seems like they learned something." Shirou said as he raised his hand and brushed the rest of Saber's hair aside with his fingers.

"I'll get Sakura and Rider then." Rin got up from the couch, careful to hide the fact that her wounds still did hurt a little bit. However she quickly supressed it with a bit of magic to turn off her nerves in that area of her body. Rin walked over and gently woke up Sakura and Rider and told them what was going on.

"So what have you found out?" Ciel asked.

"First things first, it appears that the Assembly of the 8th Sacrament have entered the village and have made an attempt at ambushing a few of the Dead Apostle Ancestors while they were separated or preoccupied." Merem explained.

"It's about time, I called them yesterday." Narbareck complained.

"You should have called everyone you know, they haven't been doing well." Rin said with a sigh.

"It's as Miss Tohsaka says. They've been defeated each time, I hope they have many more members because we're going to need them before the end I think." Merem said.

"What about The Dark Six? Were you able to gather any information about him?" Arcueid asked.

"Actually yes, we were. His power is quite troublesome..." Merem's voice trailed off as if he was in thought.

"Well what is it?" Narbareck asked impatiently.

"He's got some kind of unique kind of Mystic Eyes." Rin began. "I don't know what happened exactly, but it looks like he's able to instantly turn any number of people within his vision into minor Dead Apostles under his control."

"That's impossible. There is a long list of prerequisits to becoming a Dead Apostle, there's no way he can just bypass those." Ciel exclaimed in disbelief.

"Impossible or not, that's exactly what we saw. At least 20 men fell to the ground when The Dark Six activated his Mystic Eyes, however what got back up were 20 full fledged Dead Apostles. They were created without first becoming Ghouls and then The Living Dead. It's quite possible that his Eyes are able to directly control the transformation by manipulating the very DNA of their bodies." Merem could only speculate as well, nothing of this calibur has ever been seen before.

Shirou couldn't do anything but sit and listen, he didn't understand how a vampire was created. As was the case of Sakura. He wondered how Rin seemed to know about it as well. He started to wonder if she'd come into contact with them before. However manipulation of someone's DNA was something that couldn't be forgiven. What kind of insane power was that anyway? Moreover how were they supposed to fight with something like that?

"That's crazy. There's no way something like that could exist without us knowing about it." Narbareck said.

"Wouldn't that be because anyone who has seen them has been transformed?" Sakura suggested. It was the obvious one after all, it had to be correct though as there were no other concievable options.

"Possibly..." Narbareck pondered.

"We have to think of something quickly. The longer we sit here and speculate, the more followers The Dark Six creates. No doubt he will be leaving the village soon." Saber said urgently.

"Saber is right, his new soldiers will need to feed after all, and we have yet to meet another human since arriving." Rider nodded.

Narbareck sighed. "Do we at least know what his goal is?" She asked after blowing a bit of hair out of her face.

"World domination, enslavement of humanity, glory to the vampires, blah blah blah. Typical megalomaniac." Shiki said while waving his hand around in the air.

"Shiki, I think it's a bit more serious than that. He's clearly gathering an army. If the 8th Sacrament got defeated here, then here is where we need to stop him. If he manages to leave the village it'll be hard to catch up to him. With his kind of power he can create an army in no time, if we don't kill him and the other Dead Apostle Ancestors in Aylesbury then we may end up chasing them around the world." Arcueid said.

"Then it's simple. We go help the 8th Sacrament clean up this mess here and now. There's not much else we can do at this point, worse comes to worse we take a couple of the abandoned cars around the city and leave." Narbareck stood up and grabbed her overcoat. "You're all well enough to fight now, right?" She asked with a fire burning in her eyes. She was tired of sitting around while people were getting killed, or worse, turned into vampires.

"Rin? Sakura?" Shirou asked. He couldn't agree with Narbareck more, however he wasn't sure about the state of the two of them. They'd been injured the worse, though he was sure Rin had been applying her healing magic to both her and Sakura.

"I'll be alright, Senpai." Sakura nodded with a smile.

"I'm with you Shirou, let's show these guys what it means to mess with people from Fuyuki." Tohsaka grinned and clenched her fist.

"It's about time you guys got your fight back." Arcueid smiled.

"You two better not be pushing yourselves." Ciel wagged a finger at Rin and Sakura.

"Make sure you watch out for her, Rider." Shirou said with a smile, refering to Sakura.

Rider nodded and adjusted her glasses. "Of course." She replied gently.

"Your enthusiasm is nice, but shouldn't we find out where The Dark Six and the other Dead Apostle Ancestors are nesting? I was unable to follow them because they headed off in large groups." Merem chuckled a bit.

"That's simple, I'll send out another familiar to search the area where Six was ressurected. He's sure to be around there somewhere." Rin waved a hand in dismissal.

"Very well then." Merem replied.

"Tonight I suggest we talk tactics before we get some rest for tomorrow. The Dark Six will be difficult to even approach with those eyes of his." Saber suggested.

Narbareck sighed and slumped back into her chair. "Very well, I suppose I was getting a bit ahead of myself."

"Ugh. I need another vacation. I can't go a day without having to deal with some crazy supernatural being trying to kill people." Shiki sighed deeply.


	32. London Calling Again

ACT XXXII - London Calling (Again)

Within the dark depths of his dreamless slumber, Shirou felt someone shaking him. "Shirou, please get up." It was Saber's voice, clear and pure as a bell.

"Just a bit longer Arturia. Tell Fuji-nee to walk Sakura to her club meeting for me." He answered groggily, his mind it seemed had gone back in time to his high school days. Everyone had stayed up late into the night discussing on how they would attack the Dead Apostle Ancestors, so everyone was a little slow starting that morning with the exception of Saber, Ciel, and Narbareck who were all eager to get the day started.

Ciel glanced over at Shirou as she was slipping a few Black Keys into her robes and chuckled. Saber shook him a bit harder, she'd let him sleep if she could but with the lingering air of battle over the town this wasn't the time to be liesurely sleeping in. "Shirou, what are you talking about?" Saber asked him.

Shirou yawned widely and stretched his arms over the back of the couch. "Morning, Arturia." He greeted her drowsily.

"Shirou, you mustn't sleep so late." Ciel put a hand on her hip as she waved a finger at him. "Now hurry and wake those two up for me?" She motioned towards Sakura and Rider. "Narbareck said she wanted to go over a few things before we attack."

Shirou took a glance around the room and saw that Rin nor Narbareck were in the room. "Speaking of which, where did Rin and Narbareck run off to?" He asked Saber as he lazily got up and rubbed his eyes a bit before heading over to the corner where Rider and Sakura were sleeping.

"They are in the bathroom down the hall I believe." Saber answered as she straightened the ribbon she had tied around her collar.

Shirou knelt down and gently shook both Sakura and Rider, who up until now had been sleeping quite soundly in the corner of the room covered by a blanket. The two of them had always been inseparable, but this journey seemed to have brought them closer together than ever. Sakura had her head against Rider's shoulder as the two of them slept, looking upon this Shirou couldn't help but smile. He would have prefered not to have woken them, to leave them out of this whole mess in the first place.

Sakura opened up her eyes first and glanced up at Shirou. "Good morning, Senpai." She smiled warmly after lifting her head off Rider's shoulder. She enjoyed it very much getting woken up by him. It used to be the other way around but somehow seeing his face first thing in the morning made her feel warm, like she was back in Fuyuki City.

Rider's eyes opened next. Luckily she'd learned to sleep while wearing her glasses, or the entire room would be in big trouble due to her very powerful Mystic Eyes. "Good morning, Shirou." She greeted him softly and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, which were threatening to fall off.

"Morning you two." Shirou greeted the both of them.

Across the room Ciel had managed to wake up Shiki and Arcueid. "What's for breakfast?" Was the first thing that Shirou heard Arcueid mumble.

"There's a break room upstairs that should have a refrigerator. I'll go and look if there's still anything there." Ciel said as she headed for the door.

"Hang on, I'll go with you." Shirou got up and followed her through the door into the dusty hallway.

"You certainly like to sleep a lot recently don't you?" Ciel asked him after they'd started walking towards the staircase.

"That's because I'm still not used to all this traveling." Shirou complained.

"Hmm... you think they'll have any curry?" Ciel asked as the two of them started up the stairs.

Shirou chuckled. "I wouldn't get your hopes up."

After they arrived upstairs and took a short walk down the hallway the two of them rummaged through the cabinets and refrigerator in the break room. It was very typical looking like one would find in any office building. There was a refrigerator in the corner and a sink with a small countertop on the wall with shelves above it, and on the shelves was a small microwave. Unfortunately for Ciel, there was no curry, nor much of anything else. There were only four containers of instant ramen in the cabinets and a small bag of plastic forks in one of the drawers by the sink.

The two of them decided it would be best to warm up the ramen there and bring it downstairs while it was hot. Four cups of ramen wasn't nearly enough to fill up twice the amount of people it was meant for, but it was better than absolutley nothing at all. After heating up the ramen, Ciel and Shirou each took two cups and headed downstairs back to the room where everyone was waiting.

"Sorry everyone, there wasn't much so this was the best we could do." Ciel apologized as she shoved the door open with her hip.

"Sorry, but we're going to have to share this for the time being." Shirou confirmed and handed a cup of the ramen off to Sakura and Rider along with two forks.

"It's better than nothing. Thank you, Shirou." Rider said as she took the cup and fork from him.

Across the room, Ciel handed off her cups to Arcueid (who was less than pleased with what Ciel offered), Shiki, and Narbareck who had returned with Rin while her and Shirou were upstairs.

"Here you go Rin." Shirou held out the cup to her. "You and Arturia can have this one."

Rin looked curiously at the steaming noodles then at Shirou. "What about you?" She asked.

"Rin is right, you shouldn't skip a meal Shirou." Saber said as she turned her head towards Shirou from the couch.

Shirou waved his hand dismissively. "Skipping it just this once won't kill me. You two go ahead." He said with a smile and held out two forks in his other hand.

"If you insist." Saber said hesitantly and took the fork from Shirou's hand.

"Don't worry Rin, I'll be alright." Shirou insisted and handed Rin the noodles after recieving an unsure look from her.

"Hmph. It's not like I'm worried about you or anything, I just don't want it on my concience if you get killed from a lack of energy." She shot back and snatched the fork from Shirou's other hand, taking a quick forkful of noodles.

()()()

A man wearing heavy, black combat boots opened the door of the dusty basement of the Aylesbury Inn. In the empty hallway there were a circle of chairs, filling them were the Dead Apostle Ancestors. The man himself was a newly created vampire, one of the former members of the 8th Sacrament forced to serve The Dark Six in his newly created army dubbed The Legion of Blood.

"Yes, what is it? Have you located the True Ancestor and the Counter Guardian yet?" Asked one of the women, Rita Rozay-en.

"Not yet I'm afraid, we are still looking." The man bowed apologetically.

"Useless idiot. Why the hell'd you come back if you haven't found anything?" Sumire, the other woman spat.

"Keep searching for now. I do not plan on staying here much longer, I think it's about time we moved on." The Dark Six said and motioned for the man to leave, which he did promptly.

"Where exactly shall we move on to?" Trhvmn Ortenrosse asked.

"London. London shall fall first." The Dark Six smiled menacingly.

"London? Have you gone insane?" Rizo, the man silent up until now stood up and spoke up in place of his mistress, Altrouge Brunestud.

"Strout, do not speak in that tone to Six!" Trhvmn growled.

"You do realize that The Clock Tower is in London, yes?" Rizo asked.

"You're not afraid of a few Magi, are you Rizo?" Sumire cracked a smirk.

"I am afraid of nothing, least of all death. However charging into the den of Aoko Aozaki as well as Barthomeloi Lorelei is downright foolish, even for us Ancestors." Rizo explained while narrowing his eyes at Sumire. He would gladly give his life for Altrouge if given the opprotunity, however he would not allow her to participate in an assault against the Clock Tower where she may be killed. If Rizo-waal Strout had one fear in this world, it was witnessing the death of his mistress.

"Aozaki? Barthomeloi? These names mean nothing to me, it matters not who stands in front of me. Magi are still human, as such it is their destiny to make way for us and the darkness that follows." Six scoffed.

"I fear such arrogance will lead to your death, Six." Rizo said almost sadly. Was this really the person that was supposed to lead the Dead Apostles to glory?

Rizo felt a soft tug on his jacket and looked down to meet Altrouge's crimson eyes. She shook her head slowly, saying silently that he'd went too far and said too much. He then uttered a sigh and nodded his head apologetically. "Forgive me, I have been restless ever since Fina was killed." Rizo sat back down.

"Very well. Be sure to keep your outbursts under control in the future." Trhvmn nodded back, satisfied.

"I haven't been to London in ages, when do we leave?" Rita asked as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"No doubt the True Ancestor and the Counter Guardian Emiya Shirou have an inkling to where we've been hiding out. And they are most likely preparing to attack right now. They will not just let us walk out of town." Six explained.

"So what? We use the Legion to destract them while we make a break for it." Sumire crossed her legs and flexed the fingers of her empty left hand, which normally carried a bottle filled with some kind of alcohol.

"See what you can accomplish when sober?" Rita joked, jabbing Sumire with her elbow.

"My thoughts exactly." Six responded, completely ignoring Rita's comment as well as Sumire's rather vulgar response. "Armies are expendable, if someone dies all you need do is recruit more. In our case such a task is accomplished easily, there are plenty of villages on the way to London from here." He finished with a toothy smirk.

()()()

"So let me see if I remember this correctly." Shiki didn't look particularly thrilled about the situation as he sat in a chair next to Arcueid and slumped forward. "Arc, Shirou, and Saber are to run into the inn and piss off not one, but SIX Dead Apostle Ancestors while the rest of us hold back their newly risen army of vampires. That about right?"

"That's right. It's too dangrous for any human to approach The Dark Six that's why we're the backup." Rin explained.

"What about Rider and Merem? They aren't human either, right?" Shiki asked.

"That's correct. The two of us are staying back with your group to ensure that nothing goes wrong. If The Dark Six manages to get by our front line, we'd need someone who's not human to keep him occupied." Rider nodded in confirmation.

"What about the 8th Sacrament? Shouldn't we get them to help us?" Shirou asked.

"From what Tohsaka-san described it sounds like they've all been turned." Arcueid said, bowing her head in thought. Rin nodded in affirmation.

"There may be some of them left, but no doubt they've either fled or been killed by now. The Sacrament might send more men to investigate but I doubt they'll get here for some time. We're on our own." Ciel explained.

Shiki chuckled. "Plunging headfirst into certain death against creatures humans normally can't compare with, led by a person who can practically kill us just by looking at us." He cracked a smile and turned his head towards Shirou. "What are we waiting for?"

Merem laughed, the little white mouse on his shoulder strugged to stay latched on as his shoulders bounced up and down. "I like your enthusiasm Shiki."

"Then it's settled, let's go and finish this." Narbareck stood up, and with her everyone else followed.

For the first time in days the group ventured outside into the evening air. The sun was setting and the air felt fresh as they breathed it in, different from the stuffy air of the deserted building. Sakura stretched and arched her back after sitting in that corner with Rider for hours her back was quite stiff. Rin's injuries still pained her a bit, but she knew she had to press on and help everyone else. With Ciel's help however, she had been able to heal rather nicely. Shiki looked a bit restless, walking next to Arcueid with his hand in his pocket. Arcueid herself seemed content to look around the quaint little town as the group headed towards the square where The Dark Six crawled out from the earth.

"Shirou? How are you feeling?" Saber asked, wondering how he was feeling about the upcoming battle and hopping he would not lose himself over revenge for Aiah's death.

"I'm eager to get all this over with as soon as we can. If we can't stop the Dead Apostles here and they escape, a lot more people are going to die." Shirou glanced down at the pavement before them in contemplation.

"That is certainly true. That is why we cannot afford to falter here." She said, her armored boots fell loudly on the concrete. She met Shirou's eyes and smiled. "You mustn't worry too much. You will come through in the end, just as you always do." She said sweetly.

"As long as you, Rin, and Sakura are there to save my ass then yes, I think I just might pull through." He glanced over his shoulder at the three of them, smiling. Sakura blushed and looked at the ground with a happy smile on her face.

"That's right, without us there you know he'd do something stupid and get himself killed." Rin smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"Does that remind you of anyone, Shiki?" Ciel asked with an innocent smile on her face.

"Hm, not really." He answered after pretending to think for a moment.

The group's chatter quieted down as they neared the square. The cracks in the stone spread out like a spider web from the large hole in the center where the seal used to be. The air began to feel thick, and the smell of blood was stronger here than the rest of the city. Along the rim of the hole that The Dark Six crawled out of Shirou saw a dark stain, he didn't have to think about it much to recognize exactly what it was. It was Aiah's blood.

He stopped for only a moment to look before Saber grabbed his hand and urged him onward. She didn't want him dwelling on Aiah's loss, being here would only lower Shirou's spirits. She was not denying his grieving, Aiah would be missed by all who knew her but there would be plenty of time for mourning after this was all over. Shirou said nothing, but allowed Saber to lead him away, only casting a glance over his shoulder back at the spot.

They group headed north, in the direction of the Inn. They had seen no sign of the Dead Apostles since they left the building, which was strange considering the fact that everyone in town was after them at the moment. At that moment Shirou felt someone tap on his back, it was Rider who pointed off to the side at the roofs of the line of shops they were walking down. Across the roof ran many dark sillouettes that could only be Dead Apostles.

"Double time people." Narbareck ordered in a soft, calm voice after also seeing what Rider was pointing at. The group obliged silently by easing into a jog.

Everyone began to ready their weapons as they continued the run North. Ciel and Narbareck both dug into their clothing for Black Keys. Shiki slid his knife from his pocket and flicked open the blade. Rider materialized her nail-like daggers and Saber also unsheathed her sword, keeping it hidden with her Boundary of the Wind King. Sakura's fingertips turned black as she delved into shadow magic, the shadow engulfed her hand until it fully covered her arm up to her shoulder. Finally, Shirou traced Kanshou and Bakuya.

It was at that moment that the Dead Apostles attacked, they were no more than one hundred yards from the Inn. Jumping from the rooftops onto the street and landing like agile cats they decended and began to attack the group from all sides.

"Watch out Sakura!" Ciel tossed one of her Black Keys at one of the Dead Apostles jumping directly at Sakura from one of the rooftops. The vampire twisted his body in mid air but Ciel's weapons still caught him in the shoulder and he fell to the ground.

"Thanks a lot!" Sakura thanked her, focusing her energy she summoned two shadow familiars in the shape of large wolves. The wolves sped off in different directions and circled the perimeter of the group as a defense mechanism. Sakura's familiars were commanded to protect any member of the group who was in danger of being flanked. Afterwards Sakura herself joined the attack by sending a shadow from her feet outwards, catching a vampire running after it in the darkness and trapping his feet.

The Dead Apostle Sakura had trapped promply had it's head blown off from a powerful magical blast from Rin. "Don't forget the follow up, Sakura." Rin's chest sent a tiny shockwave of pain through her body, causing her to grit her teeth to bear it. "Ouch... can't afford to be careless here." She muttered to herself. Although her wounds had closed up, she still had to avoid any reckless movements or they could open up again, though normal combat shouldn't be a problem. That made her think, Sakura was injured just as badly yet she hadn't shown any signs of pain either. Could she be hiding it?

Everyone had become preoccupied with their own fights they couldn't even think about the Dead Apostle Ancestors in the Inn that was now in sight. Before they knew it they knew it they had been pushed into defensive by the unending wave of Apostles.

Shiki quickly dispatched a Dead Apostle by cutting the lines on his chest, but was quickly pushed back by an immediate attack from another. Shiki had to jump back and block the man's claws with his knife to avoid being decapitated. "Getting a bit hairy over here!" Shiki called for help as he fell backwards onto the ground as the Dead Apostle forced him down and began to reach for Shiki's throat with his fangs.

Shiki heard footsteps run over to him and the vampire was pulled off him by Arcueid who tossed him through one of the houses with a loud crash. She looked down at Shiki with a disappointed frown. "Did you get distracted or something?" She extended her hand to help him up.

Shiki took her hand and hopped to his feet. "I guess so. I'm not used to dealing with this much going on at once." Shiki scratched the back of his head.

"We're never going to get anywhere like this. Shirou, take your group and go ahead!" Narbareck ordered as she slashed a Dead Apostle across the chest with one of her Black Keys.

Shirou, Saber, and Merem had been busy dispatching some of the Dead Apostles on the rooftops once they'd heard Narbareck's order. "Will you be alright here?" Shirou asked. He didn't want to leave them, he had to take the most powerful members of the group with him to go and fight The Dark Six.

"Shirou you must go, we will be fine here." Rider assured him after impaling an Apostle through the chest with one of her nails and slamming him into the ground using the chains attatched to it. The assault wasn't stopping, leaving them shorthanded would be dangerous.

Merem looked up at Shirou. "The more time you spend thinking, the worse things get."

Shirou sighed. "Alright, Arcueid, Arturia, with me. Let's go." He jumped off the building and onto the ground.

"Very well." Saber followed him.

"Right." Arcueid nodded and ran over to their side.

The three of them left their companions to fight off the horde of Dead Apostles on their own, rushing towards the Inn as fast as their legs could carry them. The sounds of spells impacting and metal colliding were behind them. No Dead Apostles were following them as Rider and Merem were covering their backs, making sure to kill any who tried to persue them.

They reached the thick, wooden door of the Inn where Arcueid took the lead and grabbed the handle. Just as she was about to turn the handle she heard a rustleing noise just on the other side as well as the sound of a single sword being unsheathed.

"Get back!" Arcueid jumped to the side and shouted.

Shirou and Saber took her advice, jumping aside to see the door being cleaved in two and kicked violently out of the way with an earsplitting crack. Through the doorway stepped Rizo, clad in his black armor and clutching his unique sword tightly within his fist.

"So we meet again, Counter Guardian." He said, his face expressionless as his dark hair ruffled in the light breeze.

Shirou said nothing back, gritting his teeth as the other Ancestors began to file out of the doorway.

"Do you really think just the three of you is enough to defeat us now?" Six stepped out, hands dug into the pockets of his coat. He was clearly uninterested in the people before him. They had been nothing more than a thorn in his side at this point, thorns that would be easily pulled out. "The three of you aren't humans, but you share their ignorance." He taunted them with a smirk.

Saber growled.

"Hey, I like the look on her face. I call this one." Sumire stepped in front of Saber and cracked her knuckles, grinning evily.

"Good Evening, my dear sister." Altrouge greeted Arcueid with a smile.

"Sorry Altrouge, but you've been misbehaving. Sister is going to have to teach you a lesson." Arcueid glared at her.

"Emiya Shirou, your opponent shall be me!" Trhvmn proclaimed and projected a long sword in each of his hands. Shirou responded by projecting swords of his own to match Trhvmn's length.

"You fools, with the three of you occupied, we're free to go and destroy your friends." Six laughed and began to walk passed Shirou, followed silently by Rita and Rizo. Rizo wished to stick with Altrouge, but this was her battle now. He would not interfere in the fight between her and Arcueid, even if it was to save her life, Altrouge would surely kill him if he helped her in any way.

"I wouldn't count on it being so easy." Rider and Merem jumped down in front of them from the roof of one of the houses.

"Hmph, so you guys even planned it out this far." Six clucked his tongue in annoyance.

"I will keep the woman occupied, Merem." Rider clutched the nail like daggers in her hands.

Merem nodded and took a fighting stance. He had the stature of a child, giving him a bit of an advantage.

The opponents stared at each other, eyes locked waiting for some sort of movement from the other. The street fell silent, the only sounds were those of the continuing battle behind them.

Sumire shuffled her feet and kicked off the ground, charging Saber at full speed. Like a bullet she shot towards Saber who raised her sword.

"Where do you think you're looking, Emiya Shirou!" Shirou and shifted his eyes when he'd heard Sumire move and before he knew it Trhvmn was right in his face swinging his swords to cleave his head from his shoulders. Shirou jumped back, feeling the very tip of the blades connect with his neck. It was only a scratch, but if he'd been any later his head would have been rolling on the ground.

Shirou retaliated, swinging the sword in his right hand towards Trhvmn's shoulder. However it was swiftly blocked, sending a shower of sparks flying between them. Trhvmn's movements were more refined and even faster than Shirou remembered, had he improved since the last time he fought him? Or had he been holding back before?

Around Shirou everyone else had started their battles as well. Rider was going toe to toe with Rita, who used two daggers as her weapons. Rita was just as flexible and agile as Rider, anyone watching the fight would be entranced by the movements of the two. Their daggers clashed, creating flashes of light in the dark street, lighting up the two women's faces.

Rizo raised his sword and swung low at Merem, who only needed to duck to avoid the blade feeling just a bit of hair shaved off the top of his head.

"I know you feel the need to protect your Mistress, Black Knight... but is this really what you want?" Merem asked as he attempted a sweeping kick at Rizo's feet, however it was avoided as Rizo jumped backwards, his sword swinging.

"It doesn't matter what I want, her desires are mine. What would a traitor like you know?" Rizo spat back and thrust his sword at Merem's chest.

Merem jumped and landed deftly on the blade. Rizo's eyes widened in surprise as Merem ran across the surface of the blade and kicked him in the head sending him flying a few meters away after jumping off the blade.

"As far as I'm concerned the rest of you are the traitors. I followed the Crimson Moon, and upon his death I gave my life to his only successor, Arcueid Brunestud. Your Mistress is a half-breed, therefore unfit. Why you follow someone like her is beyond me." Merem growled.

Rizo sat up from the blow to his head and spat out a bit of blood. Reaching beside him he found his sword and gripped it tightly, gritting his teeth. "I'll have your head for your disrespect, traitor!" He yelled, jumping to his feet and rushing at Merem again.

The Dark Six meanwhile, was nowhere to be found. He had used the confusion to slip away unnoticed by everyone, completely uninterested in the fight. It would seem that he had other duties to attend to elsewhere.

"Tch, that bastard just ran off and left us?" Trhvmn clucked his tongue as he fended off a blow from Shirou. Trhvmn jumped back. "I apologize, but it seems killing you will have to wait." He looked in the direction he thought Six was headed.

"Running away?" Shirou glared. He wasn't about to let him get away, The Dark Six may have escaped, but he could potentially stop more suffering if he killed Trhvmn here.

"Hmph, if seeing it that way will make you feel superior then fine. However I must bid you farewell for now. If you're feeling sentimental, feel free to come to London." Trhvmn jumped on top of the Inn behind him. "Everyone, retreat! We're leaving now!"

"Trace, on. Sword Barrel... full open!" Shirou projected numerous swords in the air around him and began to fire them at Trhvmn who simply stood there in the torrent and batted them away like they were nothing.

"Leaving? I'm not finished with you yet." Sumire groweled at Saber. Trading blows with a swordsman had been rather exhilarating for her, she didn't quite want it to end yet.

"..." Saber grit her teeth. Why did they decide to retreat now? She was about to attack Sumire again when a gust of wind rushed by her side and Sumire suddenly appeared at the top of the Inn, carried by the other Dead Apostle woman, Rita.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing? Let me go you stupid bitch!" Sumire squirmed and complained.

"Haven't you noticed that our fearless leader isn't here anymore? He clearly wants us to move on, fight or no." She explained.

"That bastard... I wanted to stay and kill that girl." Sumire pouted and puffed out her cheek in annoyance.

Reluctantly, Altrouge left her sister as well and joined her comrades on the rooftop. "Sorry Nee-san. Looks like plans of chance, however you're free to come after us. I'd like to settle things with you as well." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, you can bet we'll see each other again soon." Arcueid responded.

With Altrouge on top of the Inn, Rizo retreated as well and returned to her side.

Merem and Rider ran up next to Arcueid and Shirou. "It seems like they're leaving in a hurry." Rider said as she watched the vampires disappear into the night without a trace.

"Dammit!" Shirou angrily threw his remaining swords at the old Aylesbury inn, the blades imbedding themselves about halfway into the front of the building. This was supposed to be the battle that would end everything, yet it ended soon after it started.

Saber placed a comforting hand on Shirou's shoulder. She was just as frustrated as Shirou was. Sumire was indeed a formidable opponent, during the fight with her Saber found it difficult to find an opprotunity to use her Noble Phantasm.

"Are you alright, Arcueid?" Merem asked her. No doubt fighting her sister again took a toll on her.

"I'm fine, Merem." She hadn't been hurt at all, she was hoping things would be settled with Altrouge then and there but it seemed something kept interfering with her. That something was The Dark Six. "I can't believe she just ran off like that." She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. It annoyed her that she was just ignored like that.

"Hey are you guys alright?" Shiki called as he and the others walked up towards Shirou's group.

"The rest of the Dead Apostles just ran off a minute ago." Rin said, but she sighed unhappily. "They escaped, didn't they?"

"Unfortunately yes. However I know where they're heading. Trhvmn mentioned something about London." Shirou explained.

"I'm just glad you and Rider aren't hurt, Senpai." Sakura smiled warmly.

"London?" Ciel looked surprised and then glanced over at Narbareck.

Narbareck shook her head. "I know what you're thinking Ciel. It would be crazy to go after the Clock Tower, even for them."

Rin nodded in agreement. "That's right. Some of the most powerful Magi in the world frequently visit the Clock Tower, even with an army it would be suicide."

"I believe that is exactly what they intend to do." Saber said.

"What makes you say that, Saber?" Arcueid asked.

"The Dark Six is arrogant, he did not even bother to join our fight and just left his commrades because he did not think that we were worth the effort. I believe that he sees Magi much in the same way, he will try to brush them aside like they are trash." Saber explained.

"Heh, he'll be in for a big surprise at the Clock Tower then." Rin scoffed.

"Either way, we should get to London as soon as possible and lend them a hand. Who knows how much they know about the situation. The Church and the Magi Association aren't exactly on good terms, so they may be reluctant to hear us out." Narbareck said.

"London is a big city. And it's largely controlled by the Association isn't it? No doubt they'll have watch over most of it, so how do the Dead Apostles plan to move around unnoticed?" Shirou asked.

Narbareck's eyes dropped in concern. "They don't."


	33. Back Alley Alliance

ACT XXXIII - Back Alley Alliance

With the disappearence of the Dead Apostles the darkness on the town of Aylesbury seemed to be lifted. The total darkness was disolved by the light from the stars and the moon overhead, leaving only an empty husk of a once peaceful town as well as the smell of blood and death. Windows and doors on most of the houses had been shattered and broken, bloodstains covered most of the streets, and the only noise in the entire city came from the engine of a 1998 Mazda sedan. The engine reved up loudly, then made a sputtering sound and died. A man stepped out of the seat and lifted up the hood to examine the engine.

"Can you get it working Shirou?" Rin peeked over his shoulder and asked.

Shirou looked up from the engine at Rin. "Of course. But it'll take some time, we'll have to look around in one of the other cars for a part." Shirou sighed and looked over at Ciel and Merem who had been the ones who found it. "Weren't there any more cars in the area?"

"There were yes, but the frames were damaged heavily... and some of them had people still in them. No doubt they were trying to escape." Ciel lamented. Those people had tried to escape, but were mercilessly killed by the Dead Apostles.

"I'll need you to take me back to one of them. This engine needs a new solenoid, it won't run without it." Shirou explained.

"Very well then. Follow me, I will escort you." Merem nodded and started off down the street, motioning for Shirou to follow.

"Please hurry, we have to get to London as soon as we can. And The Dark Six has a big lead on us right now." Narbareck called after them.

"Be safe, Shirou." Saber said as she watched him leave with Merem.

Shirou walked behind Merem down the eerily quiet streets. The others should be fine waiting by the car and Shirou was pretty sure that no Dead Apostles were left in the village. However the hair on the back of his neck was standing on end, making him feel uneasy.

"You feel it too, don't you? We're being watched." Merem whispered ominously.

"Yes, but by what?" Shirou asked mainly to himself.

The two of them quickened their pace and Shirou followed Merem as he turned a corner and head into another empty street. Now that he was alone with Merem, there are a few questions that he wished to ask. However this wasn't exactly the best time considering the situation. Hopefully another opprotunity would arise.

Merem after all, was a Dead Apostle Ancestor himself and Shirou knew little about him. Why he chose to fight by their side for instance. He seemed to be extremely loyal to Arcueid, doing whatever she asked of him no matter what it was. Narbareck as well, seemed to hold him in high regards.

Thinking about his unanswered questions about Merem managed to take away the eerie feeling he had while he walked next to him. He and Merem were silent, the only sounds came from Merem's white garment that was trimmed in gold. Now that Shirou thought about it, Merem's clothes looked quite regal and he had many rings on his small fingers. The clothes and the gems looked like they had been made especially for him, he looked just like royalty.

"Shirou, you are staring. Is there something on your mind?" Merem asked directly.

"Uh, well yeah there is. But it can wait for a better time." Shirou sputtered, surprised from being called out like that.

Merem shrugged, curious but otherwise uninterested. "As you wish."

The both of them resumed their silence and continued to walk. Merem turned another corner and through the darkness Shirou could see the faint outline of another car at the end of the street.

"Ah, there it is." Merem muttered and urged onward.

At that moment Shirou heard a faint noise behind him, like quiet padding of boots. There shouldn't be anyone left in the area save for Merem and himself.

Shirou prepared to attack, but he continued to walk as if he hadn't heard the noise. He was sure Merem was doing the same thing as he looked like he hadn't heard it. Shirou began to delve into his Magic Circuits.

"Trace on!" Shirou twisted his body, swinging his arm at full force behind him while projecting a longsword into his hand.

A bright flash of sparks flew into the air as the blade was blocked by what looked like a large calibur pistol, casually raised to block the sword.

"My my, you should be careful swinging dangerous things around blindly like that." The familiar smirk said. It had been some time since he'd shown himself, but here he was with his red coat blowing in the wind.

"Tch." Shirou clucked his tongue and let the sword he'd created fade away. Shirou couldn't feel any killing intent from Enhance, so he relaxed a little. He did after all, save his and Saber's life at one point. If he wanted to kill Shirou, he's already had too many perfect opprotunities. "What are you doing here?" Shirou asked, somewhat surprised. Enhance always seemed to show up at the strangest time, and leave just as quickly. Shirou's patience with him was starting to become quite thin.

"I just thought I'd drop in and see how you guys were doing." Enhance stowed his pistol behind his back. "I saw that fight earlier, could have went better I think."

"I'd like to see how well you'd do in our situation." Shirou glared and shot back defensively. He stormed passed Merem towards the car down the street, on the way by Merem looked up at him, unsure why that made him so angry.

"What's his problem?" Enhance looked down at Merem and asked.

"He is down about the fact that we weren't able to kill the Ancestors. He wants to leave as soon as possible." Merem answered vaguely.

Shirou meanwhile was busy rummaging in the engine. He found the part he needed and managed to get the coil out without much trouble. He clutched it tightly in his hand and began to head back to everyone else.

Shirou walked right passed Merem and Enhance, who had been talking about something which Shirou was too preoccupied to listen to them.

"Hey, Shirou is it?" Enhance said as he jogged up behind Shirou. "You're heading to London right?" He asked.

"What's it to you?" Shirou answered back, clearly becoming annoyed with Enhance.

"I want you to take me with you." Enhance said flatly.

"Huh? Could you say that again? I think I may have misunderstood you." Shirou was taken aback.

"I want you to take me with you to London. If The Dark Six's power is anything like Solomon said it was, then you're going to need my help." Enhance sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I'm asking this either since I prefer to work alone. But I think we can both benefit from this somehow. You need more non-humans to help you fight the Ancestors, and I have a score to settle with them."

Shirou sighed. Enhance was right, they did need more non-humans with them. He would just have to let Enhance talk it over with everyone else. Merem seemed to be on good terms with him anyway.

"If that's the way it is, you need to take it up with everyone else." Shirou conceded.

"Fine, lead on then." He said, satisfied with Shirou's answer.

Upon returning, Shirou was met with many strange looks.

"Shirou, you seem to have returned with a strange person." Saber said with a surprised look on her face.

Narbareck who had been sitting on the hood of the car hopped off and approached Shirou and Enhance.

"Emiya, why is he here?" Narbareck asked.

Upon seeing Enhance, Arcueid gave a slight nod, to which he returned.

"I want to accompany you to London." Enhance replied.

"We asked for your help before and you turned it down. Why the sudden change of heart?" Arcueid asked him.

Enhance crossed his arms. "That was before they decided to act as a group. If they'd remained separated, then I wouldn't be here right now." He answered.

"How do we know we can trust you? Merem at least swears his loyalty to Arcueid, but you're just a loner. How do we know you won't just kill us and run off?" Shiki asked suspiciously.

In a flash, Enhance reached behind his back and pulled out his gun, pointing it at Shiki's head. The group gasped and Arcuied pushed Shiki out of the way while everyone else readied their weapons in a fraction of a second.

"If I wanted you dead, I'd have had plenty of opprotunities to do it already." He narrowed his eyes seriously, then dropped his expression. Letting go of the handle on his gun and let it hang from his finger he let everyone know he didn't want to fight. "I haven't been keeping an eye on you just to kill you."

With a sigh the group relaxed.

"Very well, I'll allow it. But you so much as twitch wrong and you'll find a Black Key through your heart." Narbareck said.

Enhance nodded and stowed his weapon. "Fair enough. Now when are we going to be leaving?" He asked.

Shirou held up the coil in his hand. "As soon as I throw this in the engine."

"It's a good thing you're here. I don't know what we would have done if we didn't have a mechanic around." Rin said as she looked over Shirou's shoulder to watch as he loosened the fracture coil in the engine.

"The first type of magic I ever learned was determining the structure of objects. You know that. This is just simply a larger extention. Though I have to admit, I've never worked on a car before." Shirou said.

"Senpai, what is that?" Sakura asked pointing at something in the engine.

"Ah, Sakura that's the oil cap. You don't want to touch that." Shirou warned her as she was reaching her hand out.

Shirou fixed the new solenoid in place and slamed the hood shut, satisfied with his work.

"Can you get it working now Shirou?" Shiki asked him.

"We're about to find out. They keys weren't in the car, but if I'm right I can start it using the wiring under the steering wheel." Shirou said as he made his way to the driver's side and opened the door.

"He's really something isn't he Saber?" Arcueid nudged her with her elbow.

Saber's cheeks turned red. "S-Shirou has many qualities I admire, as I am sure Shiki does to you." Saber answered strangely.

Shirou had already ripped out the panel under the steering wheel and began to fumble with the wires while mumbling to himself. After finding the right wires and twisting them together. The sedan rumbled to life and started up properly.

"Yahoo~ good going Shirou!" Arcueid said energetically.

"You realize we aren't all going to be able to fit in here, right?" Shirou asked. The sedan could seat five at most.

"I can ride one of my demons without any problems. He is quite large and can hold several more people." Merem said.

"If it comes down to it, I can also use my Noble Phantasm. I can ride with one other person on it." Rider explained.

And so it was decided. Saber would be driving the car along with Shirou, Rin, Shiki, and Arcueid. Merem would be flying on his demon with Enhance, Ciel, and Narbareck. Finally Rider would be flying on Bellerophon with Sakura. However Sakura seemed a bit disheartened she would be able to ride in the car with Shirou.

"Then it's all settled. Let's move out!" Narbareck ordered.

Everyone began to prepare their respective vehicles. After a bright flash of white light that nearly blinded everyone, Rider had summoned Bellerophon and helped Sakura onto it's back.

Meanwhile Merem had sat on the ground, looking like he was in some sort of trance with his eyes closed. As if bubbling up from the street an extremely large, etheral-like beast appeared. It resembled a stingray with a long saw-like nose with many barbs around it's edges. It came up from the ground right underneath Merem and took up most of the street, even destroying some of the houses with loud crashing noises as it's wings were formed.

"Eh? Are you sure that thing is safe?" Ciel complained to Merem.

Merem scoffed as if he'd been insulted. "Of course it is." He turned away violently, his shoulder-length hair flipping as he did so.

Ciel uttered a nervous groan and stepped gingerly onto the back of Merem's demon. It's flesh was soft and hairless, much like a very cushy leather couch.

"Hurry up lady, let's go." Ciel was pushed further onto the beast by Enhance, who was eager to get on the move.

"Hey wha- stop pushing! My name isn't "Lady" it's Ciel!" She said angrily, glaring back at Enhance.

Chuckling, Narbareck followed the two of them to sit awkwardly on the back of the demon in a single file line. Merem practically had to sit in Ciel's lap, which she looked like she was enjoyed as she patted Merem's head to which he turned around and gave her an odd look.

"The rest of you should leave first, this guy makes quite a mess when he takes off." Merem turned back and shouted at Rider and the others.

"Very well." Saber nodded as she opened the driver's side door.

"Shotgun!" Arcueid cried and hurried to the other side and sitting herself beside Saber while Rin, Shirou, and Shiki were left to sit in the back. Saber, instinctively knowing how to drive the car, put it in gear and sped off towards London. It would be quite a drive from Aylesbury to their destination, she only hoped that they would make it in time.

()()()

Loud screams echoed through the streets. The people walking along had no intention of getting into any trouble but finishing their errands. Now the streets were filled with panic as right before their eyes, a man sitting idly on a park bench had his head mercilessly torn off with a sickening crunch and a fountain of blood.

Standing there holding the man's head was a woman, a smile on her face as she let the blood cover her black leather clothing and her soft, white skin now speckled with the droplettes of crimson. Inserting her fingers into her mouth to lick off the warm liquid, her hands then snaked down her front over her body stopping their journey as they reached between her smooth legs. The woman let out a heated breath, the cries of the innocent filling her ears and sending her even further over the edge.

She felt a hand grab the long, braided ponytail reaching down her back. It jerked her backward violently, causing her to utter a cry of pleasure which she'd been holding in. Angrily, she glared up at the person who had interrupted her.

"Rita, as much as I would love to allow you to continue, we are here on business." A man's voice said softly next to her ear.

"Six I-I'm sorry. It's been a long time since I had a bit of fun, I lost control for a bit." Rita lied. She hadn't lost control, she knew perfectly well what happened when she caught the sight of blood. Although she hadn't expected to start carassing her own body in the middle of the street, she only needed kill the people that saw her doing so. It had been several days since her last bath, every night at her home she filled her tub with blood and soaked her body in it. It was a nightly ritual which she was beginning to miss greatly.

"Hm." The Dark Six's lips curled into a smirk and let go of Rita's hair. He turned and began to walk non-chalontly down the street towards the mob of fleeing padestrians as if he was simply on a Sunday stroll.

"Jeeze, and I thought I was fucked up." Another woman plopped down off a building and mocked Rita. She landed off the building about as gracefully as a Grizzly Bear would land after being pushed down a flight of stairs. This was due to the fact that she had a half drained bottle of rum clutched in her left hand.

"You're one to talk Sumire. You stole that didn't you?" Rita pointed angrily at the bottle, her eyebrows furrowing.

Sumire shrugged. "So? The guy in the store isn't going to need it anymore." It was then that Rita noticed that Sumire's right hand was covered in blood and it was dripping off her fingertips.

Rita sighed and looked towards The Dark Six who was standing still among the still screaming crowds. In a split second every single person on the street dropped to the ground like puppets that had their strings cut, their screams instantly silenced. Six had activated his Mystic Eyes of Vampirism and was now watching as the very DNA of the people laying before him was being twisted to fit his needs.

Normally, the person must first become Shisha or "The Dead". Mindless beings who merely wander around and follow whatever Dead Apostle created it. However if the person had a strong life force, they will become a Ghoul. Ascending beyond that to "Living Dead" and then to "Vampire" requires that the person had magical potential. Which is very rare as the odds for a human to ascend from being a mere Shisha to a Vampire are 1 in 10,000. However the Mystic Eyes of The Dark Six are able to instantly create Vampires under his control regardless of one's magical potential simply by activating the circuits in his eyes and looking at someone. This was how The Dark Six replenished his army he so aptly dubbed "The Legion of Blood".

"I wish you'd at least allow us to kill some of them." Rita complained with a frown.

The Dark Six chuckled and looked back at Rita as the people on the ground were beginning to stir. "There will be plenty of time for that once we reach the Clock Tower. For now I have to ask you to restrain yourself while I gather the cannon fodder." He replied with a smile.

Sumire looked lazily around the street. "Did anyone see where the other three went? I haven't seen them in awhile."

"I'm surprised you can see anything. By now your vision must be like looking through a foggy window." Rita grinned.

"Screw you, at least I have enough sense not to attempt and get myself off at the first sight of blood." Sumire shot back angrily, downing the rest of the rum and then throwing the empty bottle at Rita's head. Rita easily sidestepped the bottle where it shattered loudly against a tree.

"Enough, both of you." A man stepped out casually behind the tree.

"Ah, Trhvmn. We were just talking about you." Rita turned her head behind her.

"Hey, I was talking to you dammit!" Sumire fumed, the vein in her forehead popping out.

"Where have you been? We've been here for awhile now." Rita asked, completely ignoring Sumire who was still yelling profanities and insults at her.

"I was having a conversation with Miss Altrouge and her servant." He crossed his arms and looked a bit frustrated.

Sumire, who had apparently gave up on Rita now approached Trhvmn with an evil smirk on her face. "She chewed you out didn't she? You know she doesn't like it when someone other than her speaks out against her Bodyguards."

"Sumire, what we talked about is of no concern to you." At that moment Altrouge came into view walking casually next to her guardian with a teddy bear held tightly to her chest. "I simply reminded him of his position reguarding Rizo." She said as she and Rizo approached everyone else.

Rizo said nothing as the others talked amongst themselves. Nothing they said concerned him much anyway. Instead he turned his head towards The Dark Six further up the street who looked like he was barking orders at his new regiment of Dead Apostles.

He wasn't used to being so active. This was the first time that several Dead Apostle Ancestors were working together to achieve something. Before all this started, Rizo's job was merely to watch over Altrouge and eliminate any assassins from the Holy Church or foolish adventureres from the Magic Association. It was all very boring, but he had no other purpose or desire than to serve Altrouge along with Fina. He had certainly never spoken much to the other Ancestors before now. However Rizo's warrior's heart enjoyed the battles he'd fought so far, even if he hadn't faced a worthy opponent yet.

He yearned to face another swordsman. Lately, the only blood that had been staining his sword were the blood of lowly human civilians. He uttered a sigh of dissapointment.

"Rizo? Is there something on your mind?" Altrouge's voice brought him him back from his thinking.

"Hm?" He had been staring at The Dark Six while he'd been thinking it seemed, and Altrouge asked out of concern. Despite how cold she was towards everyone else, Altrouge truly did care about those close to her which now only included Rizo. He looked down at her brightened eyes which seemed to shine even in the deepest darkness. "No, nothing is wrong. Let us press on." He shook his head and answered Altrouge.

Altrouge raised an eyebrow, not believing Rizo's answer. However she merely shrugged. "As you wish."

"Alright! Legion, move out!" The Dark Six commanded from up the street.

"Sir!" The newly risen vampires saluted in unison and began to run ahead. After they'd left his side, Six began to walk towards the others.

"I've sent them ahead to London and the Clock Tower. They'll be out advance force while we follow them in." He said to Trhvmn after stuffing his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"I suppose that means we should get going then." Trhvmn nodded. "I trust that you two can keep your hands to yourselves until we get to the Clock Tower." He glanced at Sumire and Rita before turning to walk away.

Rita and Sumire growled at his back through gritted teeth. However they dare not attack him, especially since they share the same goals and ambitions for now.

Rizo and Altrouge followed them. After all, the Black Princess should never fight unless neccesary so she should remain at the back of the pack. Rizo again began thinking as they headed towards London, now only a few hours away. The Counter Guardians should they meet were formidable fighters, however Rizo couldn't think of any that had the heart of a swordsman.

"Wait... there was one..." He mumbled to himself. He recalled the swordsman's image, blonde hair, deep green eyes, and a firey spirit that he had been searching for. "That woman..." He had only met her briefly before The Dark Six was ressurected, but he felt something from her. She was a warrior, and for once he thought of something other than protecting Altrouge.


	34. The Declaration

ACT XXXIV - The Declaration

The road stretched out before Saber as she drove towards London. The sun had begun to set above them and every so often, she could see the large wingtips of Merem's demon dipping below the cloudcover. Merem had been flying above the clouds so as not to draw attention to them. Surely people would panic if they saw something like that flying through the sky. Sakura and Rider were also above the clouds but Saber could catch little glympse of them, save for small flashes of white light.

In the seat next to her sat Arcueid, who was staring out the window up at the clouds with a bored look on her face. Saber raised her eyes and looked into the rearview mirror. It seemed as if Shirou and Rin had both fallen asleep and were leaning against one another as if it were natural. The two of them had such a peacefull look on their faces Saber couldn't help but smile faintly.

"You look happy, Saber." Shiki said after noticing her face in the mirror.

Saber nodded slightly. "Yes. Despite what is going on I cannot help but smile when I see how peaceful Shirou and Rin look like that." She replied warmly.

Shiki chuckled. "Arc is the same way. You wouldn't believe how cute she is when sleeping. She likes to curl herself into a ball like a cat."

Arcueid turned around in her seat and looked angrily at Shiki while her cheeks turned a shade of pink. "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here." She said angrily. It seemed even Arcueid was capable of being embarassed. "Or should I tell Saber about the things you say in your sleep?"

Saber tilted her head in curiosity while Shiki shook his head frantically. "Ah no... that's not necessary." Now Shiki was blushing as well.

Saber didn't understand it, but Shiki must say things in his sleep that he finds embarassing. Not long after the car fell into silence again. The roads were starting to become more lively, mostly filled with cars going the opposite direction. There was a long line of cars heading away from London, some of them were even dented or had traces of blood on them.

"It looks like we were too late." Arcueid mumbled as she looked at the long line of headlights. She sighed, "They're not even trying to keep a low profile anymore. The Dark Six is rather bold... how annoying." She sounded disgusted, like someone talking about taking out the trash.

"At this rate they're going to start a world wide panic. What could they possibly gain by doing this?" Shiki looked almost angry.

"Fear probably..." Saber said as she stared straight ahead, keeping her eyes on the road. "Fear is a powerful weapon, it has the power to greatly demoralize your enemies making them easier to dispatch." She pressed her foot on the gas, urging the car to go faster. Her smile had faded and her eyes were now serious.

"I think it's about time we woke up Shirou and Tohsaka." Shiki reached his hand over and tapped Shirou on the shoulder.

Shirou's eyes opened almost right away. "Hm? Are we there?" He asked groggily. He stretched his body and arched his back, his spine made a crackling noise. When stretching his fingertips brushed against something soft, soon after something hard slammed into his head making his vision go blank for a second.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Shirou had to cover his hears for fear the demon's yelling might make his brain explode. He turned his head to see Rin glaring at him fiercely, her hands gripped her skirt while she glared at him with a red face.

It took a moment for Shirou to realize that he'd accidentally touched her leg when he was waking up. "S-Sorry Rin, I had no idea. It was an accident, an accident!" He apologized quickly.

Rin frowned, but didn't look any less angry. "Fine, but you'd better be more careful or I'll kill you before Saber does."

Shirou flinched and looked forward into the rear view mirror. Saber's eyes were narrowed, even if she was still looking forward at the road. Rin was scary herself, but Shirou hated to imagine what it would be like if he managed to get Saber mad at him too.

Shiki had to hold in the urge to laugh. If he let out so much as a breath, Rin might direct her anger towards him instead of Shirou. He's seen how scary she was when angry, almost reminding him of Ciel. "Emiya Shirou, the Counter Guardian that can go toe to toe with the Dead Apostle Ancestors, cornered and frightened by a girl." Shiki taunted him with a smirk.

"Shut up Shiki, I don't want to hear that from someone who's scared of his sister." Shirou shot back angrily.

Shiki shut his mouth, unable to come up with a response to that. Akiha was indeed scary.

"Everyone, please be on your guard. We are entering London." Saber said and slowed the car a bit. There was a large haze covering the city, as well as the familiar, unnatural darkness that had settled itself over Aylesbury. The fog only made the darkness worse, to the point where Shirou couldn't even see all the way down the street, a pitch black wall just seemed to block his vision all around him.

"The others must be here by now. The car is useless in these conditions. Let's pull over and go on foot, Saber." Rin suggested.

Saber nodded and pulled the car over to the empty curb and stopped, turning off the engine. An eerie silence filled the area, and once everyone had gotten out of the car they found the air felt thick. The familiar smell of death was also heavy on the air.

"Ahh!" Rin only managed to take a few steps away from the car before she yelped loudly and fell to the ground. "Something grabbed my ankle!" She cried.

"Rin!" Shirou and Saber called out to her and rushed to her side to make sure she was alright. The two of them looked around and saw what Rin had tripped over.

A man's body lay strewn across the road as if he was just thrown there, his face twisted in horror. Upon seeing what it was for herself, Rin calmed down a bit and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright Rin?" Shirou reached his hand out to help her but she quickly smacked it away and got up on her own. She must still be mad about what happened earlier.

"I was just caught off guard alright, I don't need your help." Her voice may as well have just punched Shirou in the face.

"Arcueid, do you know what is going on here? I cannot see anything." Saber asked. Her voice sounded frustrated. Saber didn't expect anything like this, it was going to be very hard to find their way anywhere like this.

After taking a look around and thinking for a moment, she seemed to come to a conclusion. "The fog itself is natural, it was probably like this long before the Ancestors even got here. As for the darkness... it is most certainly not natural." She seemed a bit perplexed about that part.

"Then it has to be a kind of Reality Marble. There is no magic that I know of that can block out the sun like this, even Sakura's Shadow Element can't do something as great as casting darkness over a whole city. However the mana required to maintain a Reality Marble like that would be insane... so that can't be it either." Rin didn't seem convinced by her own explanation.

"I guess all that's left then is to regroup with the others and go ask them ourselves." Shiki shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I agree, but we should watch carefully. It will be easy to be caught in an ambush in these conditions. We cannot be certain if the enemy is still here." Saber seemed to be in the same opinon as Shiki. She was eager to get underway and head as quickly as possible to the Clock Tower.

The five of them began to walk slowly down the street, barely able to see what was in front of their feet. The further in they walked, the stronger the smell of the dead came. Ocasionally they even had to step over a dead body. Rin was careful not to trip over one again. Shirou began to get angry as he saw them, gritting his teeth. He wouldn't forgive the Ancestors for this massacre. All these innocent people, killed brutally.

There was no sign of the others yet. Only the empty silence of the streets, like the calm before the storm. Shirou almost felt like he had to push his way through the black fog like a solid object. Arcueid was the only person who didn't seem too bothered by it, or at least didn't show it. Even Shiki had a frown on his face. Sound also did not seem to travel as it should, the group's footsteps fell flat. It was like walking alone through the snow on a quiet winter day. No birds, no wind, nothing. However the air was not calm as it should be. It was thick, stagnant with the smell of blood and rotting corpses. It was enough to make a normal person scared and uneasy.

"-pai!" Shirou heard a faint voice that sounded like it was far off from where they were now. Possibly a few streets down. It sounded like a yell, like someone was looking for something.

"Did you all hear that too?" Shirou asked, making sure that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him from being disoriented.

Saber and the others nodded silently. They stopped so they could hear better.

"Senpai!" The voice called again.

"That's Sakura!" Shirou only had to hear the voice clearly once to realize who it was that was shouting. He broke into a run to follow the noise.

"Shirou wait, please do not run off on your own!" Saber called as her and the others followed after him.

Shirou kept on running. Even though Sakura had Rider he was sure that Sakura was scared. Sakura was indeed a competant magus, but to Shirou's knowledge she had no knowlege of the carnage that they were facing around them. Saber probably felt the same, seeing as she was running faster to catch up with Shirou.

"Senpai!" Sakura called again, her voice sounded closer this time. She didn't sound particularly frightened. Perhaps Shirou was worrying for nothing. Either way, he wished to link up with her and Rider so they could search for Merem and the others.

"Sakura, over here!" Shirou called back. His voice didn't sound like it carried, but he began to hear faint footsteps growing closer not a second after he'd called out to her.

It wasn't long before Sakura and Rider walked out of the darkness and finally came into sight.

"Sakura, are you and Rider okay?" Shirou asked.

Sakura nodded with a smile. "Yes, we're fine but it's very hard to see anything. Do you think the Dead Apostles could have planned this?" She asked.

"We're not sure yet, the darkness is definately their doing but Arcueid says the fog is natural. I don't want to rule out the possibility that they knew the fog was already here and that's why they decided to attack now." Rin explained.

Arcueid meanwhile, had sauntered up to Rider and began curiously poking at the covering over Rider's eyes. This must be the first time Arcueid had really noticed it, since most of the time Rider wore glasses when not fighting.

"How can you see with that over your eyes?" Arcueid asked curiously.

"Arc, stop bothering Rider." Shiki called to her.

Arcueid pouted. "Aww, you're no fun Shiki. Rider doesn't look like she minds too much. Right Rider?" Arcueid turned to her for confirmation.

"I do not mind the attention, but more importantly would you please stop touching that." Rider said with a warmer voice than Shirou was used to hearing.

Arcueid chuckled and removed her finger from Rider's eye cover.

"You didn't see Ciel or the others on your way here did you Sakura?" Shiki asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No, Merem flew further into the city before landing. Maybe he saw something interesting and decided to go ahead with the others."

"These conditions are proving to be quite troublesome. We should hurry and regroup. It is dangerous to stay in one place too long." Saber suggested.

"Arturia's right, they're probably looking for us too. We should get moving." Shirou agreed.

()()()

"I-I-I'm n-never d-doing that ever again!" Ciel shakily stepped from the wing of Merem's demon and complained. She was wary about riding that thing here, but the actual experience was horrible for her. She wasn't afraid of flying by any means, it was the fact there wasn't anything to hold on to up on the thing save for the nearest person. Merem however, seemed to just sit calmly on the beast's head. They had landed further in the interior of the city in one of the large parks.

"Tch. I can't see anything here. This weather is something else." Enhance complained. "Hey Kid, didn't we overshoot the others by quite a bit?" He asked Merem.

"We did, but it is for good reason. The Ancestors haven't been in the city long so I wanted to avoid as much collateral damage as I could by landing in a park. After all there may still be people hiding around." Merem explained.

"It's pretty quiet around here though, do you think anyone is left?" Ciel asked after taking a few breaths.

"The Ancestors aren't stupid enough to kill everyone. Aylesbury was an exception, if they're trying to rule the world then it wouldn't make any sense to eliminate humans. Who wants to rule an empty world?" Narbareck said.

Merem's demon disappeared as if melting into the shadows and soon it was gone entirely.

"They'll cause a panic! Neither us nor the Magi Association have the manpower to clean something like this up!" Ciel was flabbergasted.

"They're probably tired of living in the shadows." Enhance said.

"They'll be plenty of time to discuss this later." Narbareck urged them on. "We need to double back and link up with Shirou and the others to make our way to the Clock Tower from there."

The four of them began walking the way that they came in. Fortunately all they had to do was follow the main road back. Narbareck was pretty sure Shirou and the others would be heading in their direction too, so they'd probably meet up even if they did nothing. The Clock Tower was further into the city, but the would need Rin's help to find it's exact location.

The Clock Tower's location was a very closely guarded secret. While anybody could tell you that it was situated in London it's exact location was only known to those belonging to the Magi Association. The Clock Tower is also protected by a magical barrier so not anyone can just walk right in.

Enhance and Merem lead the group, seeing as the two of them had the best eyes of the four of them for seeing through the black clouds. Enhance had taken out his pistol and was walking with it clutched in his hand, meaning he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"I'm really hungry..." Enhance complained as he liesurely stepped over a lifeless body. It was a shame to waste all that blood by killing these people.

"Don't even think about it." Ciel glared at his back. "Don't forget the only reason you're alive is because we need you." She added menacingly.

Enhance waved his hand dismissively without bothering to turn around and look at her. "Yes, yes. I know. Don't act all high and mighty lady, the only one here right now that could even think about matching me is the kid there." He then turned around and winked slyly at Ciel. "Keep that in mind."

The vein in Ciel's forhead popped out and she grit her teeth in frustration. Right now she'd love nothing more than to pierce his heart with one of her Black Keys. However they were going to need his help if they were going to defeat The Dark Six and that crazy ability of his.

As they walked Merem's attention kept changing from one area to another, as the tops of the buildings became visible his eyes quickly darted to check them. Merem and Enhance should be able to see better than anyone else through the haze, but it seems like they could only see a few yards ahead of them. The darkness combined with the thick fog was really a nieusance.

Merem focused his eyes in front of him, trying as hard as he could to see through the fog. In it he saw the outlines of several people running towards them, however he felt no pressure like he normally would with enemies.

"Who's there!" Enhance pointed his handgun at the figures coming towards them.

Merem recognized the figures. "Enhance, don't!" he shouted frantically.

Enhance did not shoot, but stood and waited for the figures to come into view while still pointing his weapon.

"What the hell do you think you're doing pointing that at us!" Tohsaka Rin stepped out of the fog followed by Sakura, Shirou and the others. Rin looked angry and Enhance chuckled. He couldn't help but wonder if something had happened beforehand.

"Are you guys alright?" Nabareck asked when she saw Enhance lower his weapon.

"We're all right. Did you guys run into any trouble on the way here?" Arcueid asked.

"No, we didn't see anything. More importantly now that we're all together we need to get moving. I'm sure chaos has broken out in the rest of the city, we need to reach The Clock Tower as soon as possible." Merem urged everyone on.

"Tohsaka, that's your cue. You've been there before so you have to be the one to take us there." Narbareck said.

Rin consented. Normally she would never have agreed to such a thing, in fact she could be killed for doing so. However under the circumstances she was willing to make an exception just this once. First things first, she had to figure out where they were. She should be able to make a mental map from there.

The group followed her to the nearest corner with a street sign. Rin looked up at it curiously then frowned. She turned around and looked at everyone. "It's going to be quite a walk there."

"How long?" Narbareck asked urgently.

"It's a rough guess, but I'd say about two and a half hours if we don't run into any trouble." Rin sighed. The conditions were too hazardous to drive to unfortunately they'd have to walk.

"Then let's go already, the longer we stand around talking, the more people die." Shirou said and the rest of the group started walking after him when he started. Shirou didn't care about the fog or the darkness. People were dying every second he spent idling. Though he knew the magi at the Tower could certainly handle themselves they would surely not be a match for any one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors. What did Shirou ask for this new body for if not to save others? It was no question, and there was no other answer.

()()()

It had only been a couple of hours since the strange reports of a group attacking the city. The group's identity remained unknown, and no known terrorist organization had claimed credit for the assault. Yet it seemed like a massacre was going on in the city of London. Even stranger were the reports of civilians dropping dead, only to arise and fight for the unknown force as if it were natural for them to do so.

Of course the people sitting in the emergency meeting room knew exactly what was going on. There were at least 6 people sitting around the table duscussing about what should be done about this matter. One of the women sighed, this was certainly a bother. She had been in town simply on a whim, yet she found something like this going on.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before. Even when the Crimson Moon was still alive the Dead Apostle Ancestors rarely acted as a group. What's more they're causing a panic, this massacre is on the World News for God's sake." An old man complained while sitting back in his comfortable chair with his arms crossed.

"This has nothing to do with us, as long as we're not targeted we should just sit back and let those Executors take care of things." One of the other men suggested.

The other woman slammed her hand onto the table. "Sit back and relax you say? I will not stand for talk like that! You would watch as London burns around you, condeming all the innocent people to death? I say we must fight! Let me and my Elites join the fight!" She growled angrily. The noise was considerably large, since the woman wore a single metal gauntlet on her right hand. On first glance, one would point her as a sadistic, uptight buisiness woman.

The suit she wore was a plain light brown and she wore a red tie around her neck. The boots she wore were a dark brown and they stretched almost to her knees. Her almond colored hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. Around her she also wore a white tailcoat. One look at this woman and one would know she was serious about everything.

"Miss Vice Director I am not sure any action on our part is even required." The man at the head of the table looked at her. "This isn't some small incident, and now that the world knows the military will be arriving soon." It seemed this person was just content to sit back and watch what would unfold in the city. As long as he wasn't directly involved, this man didn't seem to care.

The woman sitting next to the Vice Director burst out in laughter at this man's attitude. The noise echoed in the room. "Are you all idiots?" She asked in her laughter. "What exactly do you think they came here for?" She didn't wait for them to answer before continuing to talk. "They've come to kill every single one of us. Especially me... and you." She pointed towards the Vice Director. "I'm only sitting here talking about it because I was asked to, but if this is the kind of people that are running the Tower these days then I'll take my chances somewhere else." The woman got up, grabbing the red coat on the back of her chair and making her way to the door.

"Then what would you have us do, Miss Aozaki Aoko?" Just as she was about to turn the handle to leave, a voice called her name. She turned around, her long, red hair waving as she did so.

She stared at the lot of them with her brilliant, blue eyes and said in a calm, clear voice. "The Dead Apostle Ancestors have brought an army to London. For once I agree with Barthomeloi. Let's answer them with one of our own. At least until the military takes over anyway."

"So the user of the 5th Magic says. My Battalion and I will fight the Dead Apostles regardless. All I ask is that you gather the other Magi to fight as well. If the Ancestors want a war, then let's give them one!" Vice Director Barthomeloi Lorelei spoke sternly.

The old man at the head of the table sighed. He was unsure about fighting the Dead Apostle Ancestors head on, let alone this "Legion of Blood" that led the assault. "Very well then. It seems that we cannot rely upon the Holy Church to clean up the mess this time. I shall make the neccesary arangements, we will make our final stand here. If this is going to be our final day, then let us leap from the shadows just as our enemy has done. It will be breaking every rule we've set in place, but it seems we have very little choice this time. The Magi Association will go to war."


	35. An Unfortunate Encounter

ACT XXXV - An Unfortunate Encounter

Despite everything that had been going on. There were several people still alive in the corpse ridden downtown of London. A woman from the London Local News and her cameraman had survived by hiding in the back of their windowless van with the equipment when the attack started. The strange people had crawled all over the van itself, but didn't seem to notice them inside. That was at two hours ago, when people were still running for their lives.

The two of them had ducked into a back alley to avoid any possible followers. "I can't believe this is happening." The camerama clutched his head and shook it. "Scarlet, we should get out of town. I don't like hanging around here like this." He looked over at the woman leaning against the wall next to him, he was doing his best to keep himself from shaking however he was nearing the end of his willpower.

Scarlet turned back to him. Her long blonde hair swayed. Even after all that has happened, her makeup hadn't smeared one bit. Her red lipstick was as smooth as if she had just put it on and her mascara hasn't smudged at all. "We can't leave, Mike!" She said energetically. "If we leave no one will know this massacre has happened! We work for the news, it is our duty to document what is happening here so the world will know!"

"Shh-shh keep your voice down. Do you want them to hear you?" Mike whispered urgently. "I admire your passion, but I don't think this job is worth dying for." He sighed.

"Hey, toss me your camera. I wanna see what we've got so far." Scarlet ignored Mike's pleas and held out her hand expectantly.

Mike frowned. "Here? You sure it's safe?" His eyes begged her to reconsider. His Sony HI8 was his life, he hardly went anywhere without it. After all a cameraman must be prepared for anything at any time. The Sony HI8 was a digital 8mm video recorder that he had shelled out around three hundred and fifteen pounds for. He loved this camera almost as much as he used to love his ex-girlfriend.

"It'll be fine, just give it to me." She batted her eyelashes playfully at him.

Mike sighed. "Fine, fine, just quit doing that." He handed her his beloved camera. Silently wondering if she actually thought she was capable of seducing him that easily.

"Thanks." She smiled and turned the camera over in her hands. She opened up the screen on the side and turned on the camera. They had been trying to keep it turned off as much as possible to save the battery but there was so much going on it looked as though they may have to go back to the van to get another one. That was unless Mike had a spare in that saddlebag he always carried around.

Scarlet found the footage taken just after the attack as her and Mike found themselves retreating to the back of the van and began to play it back.

The screen on the camera showed a normal report on a normal day though the visibility was very low due to the dense fog that had rolled in the previous night. It was the news at five. Scarlet had been reporting on the series of disappearences plagueing the neighboring towns. Mike kept his camera steady as Scarlet reported about the strange things going on. Behind her several strangely dressed people wandered into view from a nearby street as if they had walked all the way here from some unknown place. They all seemed to be together, but after a few moments they'd split off in different directions.

The one that remained was a woman. Casually she approached a man casually reading a newspaper while sitting on a park bench. Mike began to feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something about her terrified him, he could see the color of her eyes under the woman's glasses. They were red. Mike assumed she was wearing contacts as well as glasses just for the look. But it still didn't explain her outfit. She wore a skimpy black leather outfit like she was some from some video game.

By now Scarlet was done with her report. "Hey Mike, how was that?" She asked honestly while flipping her hair. She saw the look on his face, terrified and on the verge of shaking. "Mike? You okay? You don't look so good?" She stepped forward.

Mike couldn't even see Scarlet any more, something told him to keep filming the girl. He watched silently as the woman dug her fingers into the man's hair. It wasn't what one would expect from a lover. It wasn't gentle, it was violent. The woman's lips curled into a sinister smile as the man screamed for help. People turned to watch just as the woman pulled her arm back.

The park turned to chaos in an instant. People began screaming in panic, running away frantically. But the woman just stood there. She had pulled the man's head from his body like it was nothing, the man's spine was even still attatched.

"Hm? What's going on over there?" Scarlet asked curiously and began to turn around to look.

This seemed to snap Mike back to reality. "NO!" He screamed in horror. He had to get himself and Scarlet out of there, if he let her see the both of them were going to die. He had that distinct feeling, it was certain. If they stayed there any longer, they would end up like that man. Breathing frantically he grabbed Scarlets hand and began running with her in tow. "We've got to get back to the van!" Yes. The back of the van had no windows, they could hide there safely until all this blew over. Mike had seen old war footage. This was nothing like that, that girl was not human. No human could do that to someone. Now all that could be seen on the camera's screen was the frantic movement of the ground as Mike ran with Scarlet. Many screams could be heard around them of the other people. Behind them they heard the splattering of blood hitting the ground, but Mike dare not look behind him.

"Hey, what's going on! Mike, let go!" Scarlet's voice was confused.

"No! Don't you dare look back!" Mike's breathing became frantic as they neared the van. He almost slammed into it but he grabbed the handles on the back and threw open the door. "Get in! Now!" He screamed frantically. Scarlet silently obeyed and in a hurry Mike jumped in after her. As he was grabbing the handle to slam the door shut, he caught many other people running into the area. Their clothes were covered with red blood and their eyes seemed to glow like they were posessed by some evil spirit. The door slammed shut and the screen on the camera turned pitch black save for the small amount of ambient light coming from in the front windshield. Screams still echoed outside in the streets and the sound of many people running passed the van were heard.

"Mike, what's going on?" Scarlet asked, her voice now held fear.

"Quiet! They'll hear you." Mike whispered and put his hand over Scarlet's mouth. The van began to shake and loud banging noises could be heard all around and on the roof, like something was jumping on top of the van. In the panic it seemed that he had ended up on top of Scarlet, however this wasn't the time to be worrying about that sort of thing, beautiful though she was. On the windshield he saw something flash across it, someone or something had crawled over it. Suddenly a scream was heard close by and a large amount of blood splashed over the glass. Mike had started shaking in terror.

Suddenly, the light coming in through the front windshield faded and became pitch darkness as though it was the middle of the night. With it came stillness, no noise whatsoever as if everything and everyone had just vanished leaving only silence.

Scarlet squirmed under him, making mumbling noises under his hand. "Sorry, but please I'm begging you be quiet." Trusting her to remain calm, he took his hand away from her mouth.

"Mike, what's going on? What happened? Why is it so dark?" She wasn't calm yet, but at least she had enough control over herself to whisper quietly as he'd asked.

Scarlet sighed. "I'm surprised you didn't try to cop a feel or something." She teased Mike as she hit the fast forward button on the recorder.

"Joking at a time like this... you regain your composure quickly don't you?" He replied with a frown. He noticed the screen was still black on his camera, the two of them must have spent quite a while in the back of that van. It was surprising, to him it only seemed like a few minutes.

Scarlet chuckled. "Sorry, I think I would go crazy if I didn't joke around right now." She pressed the play button on the recorder and the video slowed to normal speed.

Mike's voice was still shaky over the video. "No, we should stay here for a bit longer. Just to make sure you know?"

"I want to see what's happened, now get off me. I'm opening the door at least." Scarlet had completely regained herself. She hadn't seen anything that had happened save for whatever it was that crawled over the windshield.

Mike sighed, as scared as he was he was curious as well. He rolled off of Scarlet. "Go slow, okay?"

Scarlet sat up and gripped the handle of the door. It had been quiet for some time now so she figured it was safe enough. With a loud noise the latch clicked open and she heaved open the door with her shoulder. Her eyes widened and she gasped at what she saw. "Oh my God..."

Bodies littered the streets. Body parts littered the ground and rivers of blood ran through the cracks in the pavement. Nothing could have prepared her for something like this. All these people were dead. It was obvious yes, but that was the only thing going through her mind just then. Dead. No longer living. They had been torn limb from limb literally. If she wasn't so terrified, she would have screamed but she didn't have the breath to spare for such things anymore.

"Mike... we need to let the people know. We can still send a broadcast from inside the van right?" Her voice was shaky, breathless, yet determined.

"Not quite, but we can send any footage we take to the nearest station with an open channel." Mike replied after thinking for a moment.

A large noise was heard overhead. "What was that?" Scarlet looked up just in time to see a large shadow flying across the sky that resembled a stingray with a long, saw-like nose. Not long after a streak of bright white light cut through the darkness and followed the large shadow further into the city.

"I don't know." Mike was lucky enough to catch it on his camera, that beam of white light was unnatural, and moved extremely fast. The street began to fill with light and Mike turned his head to see what looked like headlights cutting through the fog and drawing nearer. "There's a car coming, it might be more of them. Let's go back in the van and see if we can get that footage to another station." Mike practically pushed Scarlet back into the van and shut the door quietly.

"Hey, you should shut that off and save the battery." Scarlet pointed out.

"Y-yeah." Mike stammered and and the screen on the camera went black and silent.

"Do you think a station picked up our broadcast?" Scarlet asked as she leaned against the stone wall in the alley.

Mike scratched his head. "I don't know. I hope so. I don't want to die for nothing out here." He sighed.

Scarlet smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't talk like that. We'll get out of this somehow." She said reassuringly. She herself wasn't sure. After what she'd just seen on the tape, she was sure that if the two of them ran into even one of those monsters the both of them would be killed on the spot. "Anyway, I'm hungry. There's a gas station around the corner, let's head over there."

"Yeah, alright." Mike himself was also getting a bit hungry and he grabbed his camera back from her and eagerly followed her down the street, careful to check behind him every so often to make sure they weren't being followed. They walked passed a locally owned tavern dubbed "The Winchester" Mike took a long look back at it. "I could go for something stronger too..." He mumbled to himself and continued to follow Scarlet. They had to get word out about this, otherwise those people who died would be forgotten. He and Scarlet had to survive this together.

()()()

Inside the Clock Tower had become chaotic. The Director himself began making many calls at the request of Vice Director Bathomeloi Lorelei. Many Magi were being informed of the situation and were asked to join the fight. The Magi that were already at the Clock Tower gathered in one of the large multipurpose training rooms that much resembled a high school gymnasium. The hundreds of seats inside had been filled, the many more who were not able to fit in the room could still hear the meeting that was going to happen because the Vice Director had worked up a spell to help her voice travel a bit better.

At the front of the room stood a podium, behind which stood Barthomeloi, Aoko Aozaki, and the Battalion of Kron, a group of 50 Elite Magi hand picked by Barthomeloi herself.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I've called you all here because we have urgent matters to discuss." Barthomeloi began her voice carried far so even the Magi preparing in other parts of the tower could hear her. "We have a crisis on our hands. The Dead Apostle Ancestors march upon our very doorstep with their own army." Murmurs began to break out among the other magi in the room. "They do not care about staying in the shadows any longer, and what's more they seem to have a new member with them. That is why we must meet them. The Holy Church it seems has failed in dealing with them. Whether or not they will send more Executors remains to be seen. So it falls to us to do what they could not."

"If the Holy Church, who specializes in such combat failed, what makes you think we can do any better." One of the magi spoke out.

Barthomeloi crossed her arms. "It's not if we CAN do better. We MUST do better. If the Dead Apostle Ancestors wipe us out here, then there is nothing else standing in their way. For the sake of humanity, we must drive them back now!" She slammed her fist onto the podium.

"It is as the Vice Director says." Aoko stepped forward. "It seems this so called "Legion of Blood" is gathering to the east. Since they came in from the south I assume they're still looking for us, but it would appear they're on the right track. We should go and meet them before they discover the Tower." She suggested.

Lorelei stepped foward again. "I want all of us to separate into ranks now. I want one Elite for every three Novices." As she spoke everyone began moving and sorting themselves out as ordered, some of them looked less than thrilled but in the back of their heads they knew what must be done. "Most of you have been studying magecraft your entire lives. Now it's time to put it to good use. Now then, my Battalion and I will go ahead and begin cutting a path through these monsters. The rest of you are to meet up with us on the eastern edge of downtown." She looked at her Battalion of Kron. "Let's go."

All of them stood up, their identical white robes fluttering. "Yes ma'am!" Lorelei walked out the door with her personal squad in tow.

Aozaki Aoko sighed. "I guess that leaves me here to deal with all these people... I should have stayed out of town." She wasn't thrilled about all this. She much prefered to work alone, leading most of the Clock Tower into battle wasn't something she was prepared for. Yes, it was necessary that it happened this way but she wished that the Vice Director chose somebody else. Perhaps she should have just kept her mouth shut and walked out that door.

Around that time one of the Apprentices that had been outside came in through the door. "Miss Aozaki, there are some people outside wanting to see you. They don't look like Magi to me though, but one of them said he knew you." He explained.

"Hm? What did he look like?" Aoko asked curiously.

"Young, dorky looking, wearing a pair of old glasses." He described the person vaguely.

"What in the world is he doing here?" Aoko wondered to herself. "Alright, show me where these people are. I'd like to ask them a few questions."

"Right away, if you'll follow me." He led her out the door and through the wide hallways of the Tower. The front door was down several levels so they were forced to take the stairs but they soon found themselves at the entrance and opened the door to the dark, dismal outside.

"Hello again, Sensei." Shiki Tohno greeted her warmly with a bright smile and a wave. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has Shiki. Care to explain how you got here? After you've introduced your friends of course." Aoko turned her attention to the group of people standing behind Shiki.

Shiki introduced them one by one. "This is Emiya Shirou, Tohsaka Rin, Matou Sakura, Saber, Rider, Ciel, Narbareck, Enhance..." Shiki was interrupted.

"Yes, and you're Merem Solomon." Aoko said and then turned to Arcueid. "And she and I have already met on several occasions. I trust you're doing well, Miss Brunestud."

Arcueid gave a slight smirk. "This have been a bit interesting lately. This new Dead Apostle Ancestor has me quite interested."

"Oh? So you're not doing it just to chase after your sister then?" Aoko asked curiously.

"Well... I guess that's part of it..." Arcueid's voice trailed off.

Aoko then turned to Rin. "Tohsaka was it? Your family got some training from old man Zelretch right?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah, my father died during the 4th Holy Grail War and I've been the head of the family for awhile now."

"So, would you care to tell me why I have two Dead Apostle Ancestors, the #1 and #7 of the Burial Agency here?" Aoko asked finally.

"Well at first we came to warn you, but since we're too late in doing that we thought we'd give you a hand with your vampire infestation." Narbareck explained.

Aoko put her hands on her hips. "Honestly I think we've got it pretty much covered. With all the Magi we've been calling in we should be able to simply wipe them all out here."

"I believe you are seriously underestimating them." Saber said. "They are just as cunning as any general, and if The Dark Six himself decided to enter the battle, you will certainly be defeated without our assistance." She explained.

"Hm? Do you know something we don't?" Aoko tilted her head curiously.

"We've discovered that The Dark Six posesses Mystic Eyes of Vampirism. Just be looking at any human he is able to instantly turn them into a Dead Apostle under his control. His eyes don't have to be directed at just one person, I believe his ability is as wide as his field of vision." Ciel explained.

Aoko sighed deeply. "That does make things quite difficult. If that's the case we need to head downtown right now. Barthomeloi Lorelei took her the Battalion of Kron to clean up the Legion of Blood a bit."

Rin's eyes lit up. "The Battalion of Kron? I've always wanted to see them in action!" She sounded eager.

"It's going to be too risky for any Human to face The Dark Six and the other Dead Apostle Ancestors I suggest you let us do that." Shirou suggested.

"How many of you are actually human?" Aoko asked curiously.

Sakura, Shiki, Rin, Ciel, and Narbareck all raised their hands.

"Well, I suppose that'll do. But we'll need some sort of plan to make sure none of the Magi get turned by The Dark Six." Aoko said.

"With all do respect I think we should talk on the way there." Narbareck suggested. If Barthomeloi Lorelei was turned into a Dead Apostle by The Dark Six, it would be devastating. They must not be allowed to get access to her abilities.

"Alright then. We'll discuss it on the move." Aoko nodded then turned around to the large groups of Magi standing beside her. "Alright! We're moving out, get going! If The Dark Six shows his face you're all to get out of sight immediately!" She ordered sternly. At her orders they began to move out and they did with them.

"We're walking?" Shirou asked.

Aoko nodded. "Sure why not? It's not that far and enhancing your body is something most Magi can do, so if we need to run then it's not a big deal." She explained. "I'll tell you what I think we should do on the way there."

()()()

The Dead Apostle fell to the ground after being cut in two from head to groin. Blood poured from the pieces and stained the pavement. It was there that Barthomeloi Lorelei stood with a blade of ice she'd created from the moisture in the air. "Don't hold back now!" She called to her comrades who were fighting around her.

The street had erupted into a small battle. A swarm of Dead Apostles filled the street, yet it was more of a massacre than a battle. A small force of the Legion of Blood just happen to run into this fearsome beast and her squad of 50 elite Magi. No doubt more would be coming soon though. Barthomeloi hoped they would, at the rate things were going now this was barely a crisis at all.

Dead Apostles jumped down from buildings only to be quickly burned to ashes or cut to ribbons by her Magi. "Come you filthy bloodsuckers! Come and see what it means to go up against the Clock Tower!" Lorelei yelled into the sky, daring more Dead Apostles to come and attack them.

"That's as far as you go, Magus." A man's voice was heard from inside the fog.

"Show yourself, coward!" Lorelei called.

The footsteps of heavy boots were heard in the distance. The man stepped through the fog into view. He was dressed in black armor under his equally black clothing. In his right hand he clutched a sword with a blood red blade and serrated edges.

"Do not mistake my patience for cowardice." He said with a frown. "I was waiting for you to kill those idiots so I could fight you without interruption."

"You talk about the people who died for you like that?" Lorelei asked, her eyebrow twitched in anger. To her, her Battalion was like her family. They fought next to her, they would die for her. Such a bond was priceless. Yet this man here seemed to care nothing for the Dead Apostles that lay dead at her feet. Behind her, her men appeared agitated just by his presence.

"Let's kill him now! That beast doesn't deserve life!" One of them shouted.

"Stop!" She turned around to address her men. "You'll stay back unless ordered to do otherwise." She ordered and then turned back to the man in black. "Now, answer my question. Do you feel nothing for your men who died here?" She demanded.

"Of course not. They do not fight for me, they are nothing but mindless puppets that were once human. They do as they're told by their Master, nothing more." He responded.

"That would make you one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors." Lorelei said, trying to figure out which one he was by discription.

"Correct. I am Rizo Wall-Strout." He answered her flatly without much emotion.

"You give your name freely. It seems the Dead Apostle Ancestors aren't the barbarians I've been led to believe they are." Lorelei's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Make no mistake. I am here to kill you and your squad of Magi." Rizo rose his sword.

"Oh? On who's orders? You don't seem like the one that's leading this attack. Which one of you is in charge?" Lorelei asked.

"I told him I thought you'd be here, but it's The Dark Six that leads the Legion." A small voice behind her said cheerfully.

Lorelei turned around to find more carnage than she'd left. It seems that while she'd been talking with Rizo this little girl managed to silently kill all fifty of her Battalion in a matter of seconds. She was struck speechless.

"Oh my, it seems like I scared her." The little girl spoke with a happy smile.

It didn't take Lorelei long to recognize who she was just by looking at her. Altrouge Brunestud. She did think it odd when Rizo had shown up by himself, according to what little that was known about the Dead Apostle Ancestors, Altrouge was never far away from her bodyguards. But what could she possibly need bodyguards for if she was this powerfull?

Rizo sighed. "Maybe you should have waited until after I fought her to kill her Magi." He complained. He didn't want to fight a speechless opponent.

Altrouge frowned. "Sorry. I'll remember that next time." She said dejectedly and walked away from Lorelei.

"They were practically family to me..." Lorelei said through gritted teeth as she looked at her broken comrades on the ground. "I'll kill you! Both of you!" The blade of ice in her hand evaporated instantly and her hands burst into blue flames.

"That's the spirit I wanted to see." Rizo smiled as Altrouge backed away slowly. She also wore a smile, now that she knew Rizo could enjoy himself. "Here I come. Prepare yourself." Clutching his blade tightly, he kicked off from the ground and charged.


	36. Retreat  & Advance

ACT XXXVI - Retreat & Advance

Lorelei jumped and rolled to the side to avoid the charging Rizo's blow, however she was too slow and felt the tip of his blade cut into her shoulder. If she had been a second later, she would have lost an arm. As it was the cut was pretty deep and she looked to see the warm blood beging to run down her arm.

"Hey now, where are you looking? This isn't any time to be resting!" Rizo said as he ran at her again raising his blade to slash horizontally at her neck.

"Damn." Lorelei muttered as she was forced to dodge Rizo's blade again, this time she managed to avoid it completely however he was too fast for her to counter attack at this distance. If she wanted to put up any kind of a fight she would be forced to find a better position, that or find a way to stop that blade of his. "That's it!" She snapped her fingers.

"Hm, you're getting faster just by watching my movements it seems."

If only he were right. It wasn't that Lorelei was faster. That's impossible, no human can match the speed of a Dead Apostle Ancestor. She had spend years working on her timing so she could counter speed. If she dodged at the right time she could give any opponent the illusion that she was faster than them. Lorelei quickly jumped to her feet and a cone of blue flames shot from the palm of her hand and threatened to envelop Rizo.

Rizo simply stood in the flames, raised his sword and swatted them away with his sword. "My magic resistance is second to none, you'll have to do better than that." He began to walk towards her.

Instead of attacking again, Lorelei this time would focus on defending from that blade. If she used her mana to increase the density of her skin and her bones she should be able to do something about Rizo's sword. As she drew on her magic, her skin began to feel dry and her body grew heavier. She flexed her hands.

"I'll admit it honestly, I expected more from you, Barthomeloi." Rizo ran at her. He raised his sword and brought it down over her head.

"It's not over yet!" She smirked confidently raising her hand before the blade reached her head and grabbing the serrated edges with her bare hands. Lorelei winced in pain as the blade still managed to cut into her hand and draw blood. Using her free right hand she balled it into a fist. Turning her pain into rage her fist was set ablaze with the blue flames. "Don't underestimate Magi!" She yelled at Rizo as she plowed her fist through the black armor protecting his torso and connected with his stomach with a loud thud.

Rizo grunted in pain and coughed up blood. His eyes went wide in surprise as he was lifted up off of his feet and slammed onto his head. His skull cracked on the pavement and blood trickled down his forehead. His vision had gone black.

Lorelei released the magic on her body and practically collapsed from the recoil. "Ah... dammit. I overdid it a little." Her right hand was broken from punching through Rizo's armor and her left was a mangled piece of meat from grabbing onto his blade. Blood dripped from off her fingertips and spattered on the pavement below. Just a few feet away Rizo lay face down on the pavement either uncontious or dead Lorelei couldn't tell.

On the sidelines Altrouge had been watching with interest, her facial expression had not changed, even with the beating that Rizo had just recieved.

Struggling and in pain, Lorelei managed to get to her feet. Her legs were shaking, her body was sore, and her arms were dangling uselessly at her side. She looked at Altrouge, expecting her to attack her out of revenge. But she didn't. Lorelei staggered to a street pole and leaned against it to rest a bit. Her breathing was uneven as she glanced at Rizo's body. His body twitched. "What! I cracked his head open!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Nearby Altrouge chuckled. "You didn't destroy his head completely, that's what you should have done if you really wanted to kill him." By her tone of voice, Lorelei could tell she was smiling even if Lorelei didn't look at her.

Rizo slowly got to his knees and grabbed his sword, the blood from his head trickled all the way down his face to drop off his chin. Slamming the tip of the sword into the ground he used it to help himself get to his feet. "That... was very very good." Rizo complimented her, he coughed again, spitting up more blood. It was then that he noticed her arms and he frowned. "Pity you can't do it again. It's been quite some time since I've been hit that hard." He pulled his blade out of the ground and started to walk towards Lorelei, his wounds healing automatically as he drew closer.

She couldn't fight him like this, her arms were too messed up. Lorelei couldn't do anything now but turn and run if she wanted to live. In the split second she let her eyes wander to find a suitable escape route, Rizo appeared inches in front of her.

"It's a pity, but you're just a human after all so I suppose I shouldn't expect much more than that." He raised his sword to slash her from neck to torso.

The second before he brought his hand down, a long, thin bit of light as long as an arrow streaked towards him and knocked his sword out of his hand. The next second, several more arrows came for his head followed by several beams of blue magic light. Rizo had to duck and jump backwards several times to avoid them.

"Altrouge, we're heading back." Rizo called to her and jumped to the side to avoid more arrows and magic blasts. He picked his sword up off the ground and rushed with Altrouge out of the area. They were without a trace in a split second, leaving only the bodies of the Magi that they'd killed in their wake.

Lorelei was left alone, she turned around in the direction that the arrows and the bolts of magic were fired from and she saw Aoko Aozaki and several people she didn't recognize running towards her. "Vice Director, what happened to you?" Aozaki asked.

Lorelei looked up, one of the men was holding a strange looking bow. He was dressed all in white with reddish brown hair. "You fired the arrow that disarmed him didn't you? Thanks, I owe you one. What's your name?" She asked.

"Emiya Shirou." He answered with a cheerful smile. "But come on, we need to get those wounds of yours taken care of before anything." He kneeled down and gingerly picked her up in his arms, careful to avoid touching her arms.

Lorelei's eyes gained a bit of color back upon hearing his name. "Did you say Emiya?" She asked groggily.

"Hey, you shouldn't talk so much right now. If you've got anything to say, please tell me after you've gained a bit of rest alright?" Shirou said.

"Shirou, if you will permit me let me take this woman back to the Tower. I can get her to help quickly by using my Noble Phantasm." Rider suggested.

Shirou nodded in consent and allowed Lorelei to slip from his arms to Rider's. "Alright, careful though her arms are pretty bad."

Aoko tilted her head curiously at the mention of a Noble Phantasm. She watched as Rider used one of her daggers to pierce her own neck, causing blood to pour out and form a seal. From the seal lept Bellerophon, the shining white Pegasus that earned Rider her Servant class. "Now there's something you don't see every day." Aoko mumbled in interest. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Shirou had turned away, refusing to watch Rider cause her own body harm.

"Sakura, what exactly is Rider?" Aoko asked. She hadn't been told much about them since they'd just met before coming here.

"I think we should save that for later. I don't want to stay out here any longer than we have to. I'd rather not run into whatever did that to the Vice Director." Ciel suggested.

"I'm in agreement there. Let's get out of here, we can meet Rider back at the Tower." Shiki nodded in agreement.

()()()

Rider had made it back a good while before the others. She had to deal with quite a bit of trouble and questioning before Lorelei vouched for her. Lorelei was taken to the large infirmary inside the Tower itself, her hands bandaged, and she was given some muscle relaxant to ease her pain a bit. Unfortunately she would have to be fed by someone else, seeing as she wasn't allowed to use her hands. Rider sat silently by her side.

A few minutes later, Aoko and the others walked into the room.

"How you feeling Lorelei?" Aoko asked.

"I hope I don't have an itch any time soon." Lorelei joked with a small chuckle.

"So, what happened out there?" Narbareck asked.

"Yeah, you must have messed up pretty big to have your hands mangled and all your men killed." Arcueid frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"Arc, be nice." Shiki scolded her.

Saber stood silent next to Shirou. Keeping a straight face and having no input. Lorelei had been brought to safety, that had been her priority for the time being. It seems as if the ending was being pushed further and further away. The Magi in the tower couldn't help but stare when either she or Rider walked by one of them. No doubt they could feel the powerful magical energy flowing from them light a water faucet turned on all the way.

Lorelei sighed. "Everything was going perfectly fine until those Dead Apostle Ancestors showed up."

"Did they say who they were?" Merem asked as he took his seat upon one of the chairs.

"Before that... has anyone seen Enhance?" Narbareck asked and looked around the room as well as poked her head out into the hallway.

Ciel growled. "Why that no good..." She mumbled angrily and stormed out of the room. "This time I'll really kill him." Her voice could be heard from outside the hall.

Sakura giggled. "I think they get along quite well." She said with a smile.

Lorelei turned her attention back to Merem and nodded. "Yes, one of them even introduced himself. It was Rizo Waal-Strout and Altrouge Brunestud."

"Now before I answer any more questions, who are you people?" She asked. One by one they introduced themselves.

"And the one who just left after Enhance was Ciel, another member of the Burial Agency." Narbareck finished.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you" Lorelei smiled faintly. A feature which looked out of place considering her serious demeanor but was not otherwise unpleasant to look at.

"What was that you wanted to talk to me about earlier?" Shirou asked cuirously.

"Ah yes, I met someone briefly who was named Emiya. Emiya Kiritsugu. Was he a relative of yours?" She asked.

Shirou scratched the back of his head. "He wasn't a relative exactly, but I guess you could call him my old man." It had been quite awhile since he thought about the man who rescued and raised him, hearing his name brought about feelings of nostalgia. About the happy times they'd spent together before he died.

"Oh so it was THAT Emiya." Aoko exclaimed. "I've always known him as Magus Killer Emiya."

"Magus Killer?" That was the first time Shirou had ever heard such a thing. "What do you mean? I've never heard of any Magus Killer."

"With all due respect, there is an army of vampires on our doorstep. Should we not be focusing our attention there?" Saber interrupted.

Rin who had been leaning against he back wall and listening with interest about Shirou's father decided to speak up. "As much as I'm interested Saber's right. We've got a crisis on our hands, we shouldn't get distracted while we've got an army of Dead Apostles on our doorstep."

Lorelei nodded. "Very well. Unfortunately I won't be able to take part in the battle. I've fought Dead Apostles before, but nothing like that Rizo. I'd be very careful if you ever run into him." She explained.

Aoko sighed and crossed her arms. "I guess that means I'll have to take your place."

"Oh? So you're not going to skip town?" Arcueid said with a smirk.

Aoko shrugged. "I thought about it, but with the Vice Director out of service I figured maybe I'd stick around to blow up a few Dead Apostles."

"Glad to hear you're staying here, Sensei." Shiki grinned widely.

"We've talked enough for now. We should go meet the Dead Apostles with these Magi that you've been gathering." Narbareck suggested.

"Yes, you're right. Aoko, you must take the Magi back to where you found me. The Legion is bound to be around there. It's easy to hide an army in the city like this, especially with the weather we've been having recently so please be careful." Lorelei said.

"And what about the Ancestors? One I could probably handle just fine, but I have a feeling that we're not going to be running into them one at a time." Aoko asked.

"Leave that to us." Shirou said and jabbed his thumb into his chest.

At that moment the door to the room flew open and Enhance was violently pushed through with Ciel at his back clutching a Black Key. "Wander off again, and I'll make sure it's the last thing you ever do." She sounded very frustrated and the vein in her forehead was popping out. Shirou looked at her and wondered if Enhance had been giving her any trouble.

"Hey, I was thirsty so I went across town and got something." Enhance frowned as he sipped through a straw on a clear pouch full of red liquid with a large bold "AB" on it. It didn't take everyone long to figure out that Enhance had went to a hospital and picked up a pouch of medical blood.

Merem looked up at Enhance, his eyes wide like a cat looking at something that it wanted.

"Relax kid, I thought about you too." He reached behind his back and tossed another pouch in Merem's direction.

Merem caught it easily and poked the straw through the pouch and took a sip of it. He held it with both hands which made him look rather like a sweet, innocent child sipping on a box of juice. Upon seeing this Ciel seemed to forget all about Enhance and looked at Merem like a mother would do as she watched her child.

"So when do we leave?" Enhance asked.

"Now. You, Arturia, Rider, Merem, Arcueid, and I will be handling the Ancestors while the others fight the Legion." Shirou informed him and brought him up to speed on everything that happened.

"Alright, if that's how it is then I'll follow you." Enhance nodded as he finished the last of the blood packet.

"Hmph, sounds like we have a plan then. Let's get to it. Shirou you and the others head outside, I'll inform the Magi that we're moving out." Aoko said and turned around to look at Lorelei. "Except for a choice few to stay back and look after you."

"Don't worry about me, nothing much can be done about my hands anyway." She replied.

"Miss Aozaki is right." Rin interrupted. "You need to be protected since you're the Vice Director, if you get killed..." Her voice trailed off.

"If she gets killed I supposse they'll want me to take her place." Aoko finished for Rin. "You hear that? I'd rather not have such a troublesome job, so you've got to live." Aoko frowned and left the room to go tell all the magi about the plan.

"Alright, we're heading out. You take care of yourself Miss Barthomeloi." Shirou nodded and followed the others out the door.

"You too, Emiya." Lorelei called after him.

"Senpai, you're sure you won't let us come with you?" Sakura asked Shirou out in the hallway as they made their way downstairs.

Shirou shook his head. "No way, I didn't want to bring you and Rin into this mess in the first place. There's no way I'm letting you fight the Ancestors. It's way too dangrous for any human to fight The Dark Six."

Sakura hung her head dejectedly. It just didn't register in her mind that Shirou was no longer what one could consider human. He looked the same as he ever did, acted the same. Something had changed inside of Shirou, but Sakura wouldn't see it. No, she didn't want to see it.

Rin put her hand on Sakura's shoulder to comfort her. "Hey, I know what you're thinking. But you know as well as I do how stubborn Shirou is about things like this, besides he is right it is too dangrous for us to go with him." She said with a smile. "Look at it this way, Saber and Rider protect his front while you and I protect his back."

_"Protecting his back, huh?"_ Sakura thought. She liked the sound of that. It was about time that she was the one protecting him. She cracked a very faint smile. "Thank you Nee-san, you always know what to say."

Rin smiled widely. "Isn't that what sisters are for?"

Pushing open the doors of the Tower entrance Shirou and the others returned to the streets. Aoko was standing just outside to greet them.

"You ready for this, Shirou?" She asked him.

He nodded. "I've been ready." He turned around to face everyone behind him. "This is where we have to split up for now."

Rin tossed her hair. "Hmph, just take care of yourself alright? If you die out there I'll never forgive you."

"He'll be fine. We've gotten this far, we're not going to fail now." Ciel said with a smile.

"It's a pity you couldn't be a member of the Burial Agency, you'd make a fine Executor." Narbareck nodded.

"I think I've had enough of fighting. I hope this is the last time." Shirou replied.

"Senpai, whatever happens promise me you'll come back?" Sakura asked, her eyes pleading.

Shirou smiled. "Of course, and then we'll all go home together. Don't worry, I'll end this."

"Hey, Shirou." Shiki called. "Hisui really liked meeting you, when we're done here, how about we have a big party over at your place. I'll bring everyone."

"Sounds good Shiki, I'll hold you to that." Shirou held out his hand.

Shiki grabbed it and the two of them shook hands before clenching their fists and bumping their knuckles together.

"This has all been very touching, but I've got a score to settle. Can we get a move on?" Enhance crossed his arms and looked bored.

"Alright then. Merem, Arturia, Arcueid, Rider, you all prepared?" Shirou asked.

"All set here, but remember that Altrouge is mine." Arcueid smirked.

"Anytime you're ready, Shirou." Rider responded.

"As always I am ready if you are. This is our last fight, let us make it one to remember." Saber was eager to get this over with. She was no longer a Servant, and she wanted to make good use of her time with Shirou while she could. These past few days have gone by so fast. She and Shirou had finally confessed their love to one another at the beach in Hawaii, now all she wanted to do was go home and live her life. After this she would put away her sword, she would no longer be Saber. She would only be Arturia Pendragon.

"Let's go, Emiya we're wasting time." Merem urged.

"Okay. We're leaving." Shirou began walking with the others, but he turn around. "Miss Aozaki, make sure nobody gets hurt." He said to her before continuing to walk down the street until he disappeared into the fog out of Aoko's vision.

"Hmph, like he needs to tell me that." Aoko mumbled.


	37. The Legion of Blood

ACT XXXVII - The Legion of Blood

After leaving behind Aoko, Lorelei, and the others Shirou, Arcueid, Saber, Rider and the two Dead Apostle Ancestors they would return to the place where Lorelei was attacked. The way Shirou figured it, Rizo and Altrouge shouldn't be too far off. What's more they were no doubt moving closer towards the Clock Tower as they walked so they were sure to turn into each other eventually. The only thing that hindered them was the fog and the darkness, making it so they could barely see 10 yards in front of them.

"Arcueid, now that we have a moment. I would like to ask you about your sister, Altrouge." Rider's voice cut through the silence like a summer breeze. "Why do you seem so obsessed with defeating her? She has done horrible things, but isn't she still your sister? You seem less concerned about saving her, and more about simply killing her." Rider asked curiously.

"We're not actually fully related. Altrouge is only half True Ancestor. Besides, I owe her for something and she's had it coming for a century. Death is less than she deserves." Arcueid replied coldly.

"And what about you, Enhance? You have a grudge against the other Dead Apostle Ancestors do you not? What is this grudge?" Saber asked him.

"That my dear knight, is best saved for another time. Don't worry, I have no intention of betraying you unless it will immediately benefit me." He said with a smile that made Shirou narrow his eyes.

"That makes me feel so much better." Shirou said cynically.

They all laughed at Shirou's comment and continued to walk. The mood was lightened a bit by the idle conversation and the gloomy cloud that had been weighing on everyone's mind was pushed aside for the time being. Shirou wasn't too sure about Enhance's motives but something in his eyes told Shirou that he was telling the truth. So for now, he would accept his company even though he seemed to greatly enjoy giving Ciel a hard time whenever he got the chance.

Soon they reached the street where Lorelei had fought Rizo. Shirou hadn't had time to get a good look at it before but now that he could actually take it all in he could instantly tell that a battle had happened here. There was a large crater in the pavement that looked like something had been slammed into the ground. Half-dried blood was splattered around including a rather large bit of it in the cracked pavement.

"Hey, Shirou! I found something over here. Looks like Rizo's armor." Arcueid called from a few yards off as she brought it to him. The armor was thick and had some kind of emblem on it. The emblem resembled thorny vines coiling around the blade of a sword. Near the lower part of the armor, a large hole had been punctured.

"It's no wonder Lorelei is in the condition she is after doing something like that." Shirou said after taking a look at the hole.

"The recoil from using that magic must have been very painful." Rider pointed out.

"Hmph, about time that guy took some punishment." Enhance scoffed. "Too bad the Vice Director wasn't able to finish the job though."

"We should press on, we've lingered here too long. If we idle here the Magi may reach the Ancestors before we do." Merem urged.

"The kid's right. Let's get this over with already." Enhance began tapping his food impatiently.

"Alright then, let's head this way then." Shirou pointed down a side street and headed in that direction.

"I'll have you know I'm quite a bit older than you, despite what I look like." Merem narrowed his eyes at Enhance as they had started to move.

"I'll call you by your name when you grow a little taller." Enhance chuckled.

That must have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back because Merem let out a short growl and in a flash swept Enhance's feet out from under him. A loud thud was heard as he slammed onto his back. Merem pounced on top of him, and positioned the tips of his fingers on Enhance's throat. One push from Merem and he could lop off Enhance's head.

Shirou and the others gasped and turned around at the sudden movement, never expecting such a thing to happen. They watched as Merem glared menacingly down at Enhance but was otherwise silent. He was contemplating if he should do it or not.

"I have had just about enough of you. Your relationship with Ciel is one thing, but I will not have you disrespect me." Merem snarled. "Seeing as we need your help, I am going to let you off easy just this once. However... if you so much as look at me wrong, I will let my demons tear you limb from limb. I do not care if we lose to the other Ancestors because of it." If Merem's anger was visible, it would be pouring out onto Enhance like magma. "Are we clear?" He asked in a threatening voice.

Enhance didn't move under Merem's light weight. "Yeah, crystal clear." He nodded. "You going to let me up now, Solomon?" Despite being so small, Enhance got the sense that Merem was telling the truth. If he didn't show him the slightest amount of respect, he would kill Enhance. Enhance knew he'd be no match for Merem, so he had no choice but to comply.

Merem looked satisfied and jumped back off of Enhance, watching as he got up off of the ground. Merem stormed passed everyone and turned to look back at Shirou. "Let's get moving." He said calmly with a blank expression.

Shirou was struck speechless, and he was pretty sure just about everyone else was too, particularly Enhance. Merem had taken the lead now and was leading them in the direction that Shirou had pointed. An uncomfortable silence befell them but nobody wanted to say anything so for now they were content to follow Merem through the dense fog.

()()()

A few streets ahead Mike and Scarlet from the London News ducked into a dark alleyway to escape their persuers. They had sneaked into a gas station to grab something to eat when they ran into a strange woman drinking all the alcohol. Running for their lives, to escape her when she tried to kill them. Just when they thought they got away from her, more of the people that assaulted the city came after them. Mike barely managed to escape, getting injured by one of their claws leaving deep, bloody scratches across his back.

Now, in another alley, they sat against the wall to catch their breath, watching as the people jumped across the rooftops to look for them on the streets.

"You alright?" Scarlet whispered softly, but her eyes held concern.

Mike nodded through gritted teeth as he bared the sharp pain in his back. He reached his hand back and felt the wounds through his clothing, he could feel the blood on his fingers. "Dammit, that bloody git got me pretty good." He sighed. "Did you get the camera?" He asked her.

Scarlet patted the large video camera sitting next to her. "I got it. I can't believe we got away though. Do you think maybe she let us go?" Scarlet asked.

"Hell if I know, I'm glad we made it out okay."

"We've got to take care of those scratches, they're pretty deep. They might get infected if we leave them." Scarlet said.

Mike waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be alright, cameramen are tough."

Scarlet stifled a laugh. "Whatever you say tough guy. We should still get you some help." She insisted. "There's a hospital about a mile off."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say." Mike let Scarlet pull him to his feet. They couldn't stay in this alley anyway, what better place to hide out than a hospital. Getting away from all the crazies running around off the streets would be the best course of action.

The two of them barely stepped out of the alleyway when they heard voices and footsteps. Scarlet gasped and pushed Mike back into the alley into the safety of the darkness. It could be more of those people that were killing everyone. The two of them have been evading them all this time, it would be a shame to die here.

"We've been walking for an hour now and we haven't seen one Dead Apostle. Not even a little one." One of the men sounded frustrated and impatient.

"Would you rather have the entire army and the Ancestors attack us all at once?" The blonde woman in the purple skirt said. Mike could tell these people weren't English. Especially the little boy that looked like he belonged in a museum with Egyptian Artifacts, and the taller woman dressed in black. The other blonde woman walking next to the man in white however, looked like she could be a Knight straight out of the Arturian Legends. She didn't appear to be armed but carried a stern expression on her beautiful face that didn't suit her good looks at all.

"Absolutley!" The impatient man sounded excited and pumped up. "If I have to die, I want to die taking every single one of those bastards down with me!" He roared enthusastically. Could the people that attacked the city be these "Dead Apostles" that they're reffering to? Mike began to think that this small group of people were here to fight them all by themselves. That's crazy, they'd need an army for something like that.

As they walked passed, a tall woman with long hair that reached almost to the ground and wearing all black stepped into view. She wore a strange thing over her eyes but it seemed like she still could see. She gave off a strange feeling making Mike and Scarlet uneasy. Scarlet's weight shifted and the tip of her shoe acidentally tapped an empty can of who-know's-what. The noise was actually quite small, but to the two of them they may as well have just fired a cannon.

The woman stopped and stared into the dark alley directly at the two of them. Scarlet began to shake in fear and sweat began to form on Mike's forehead. The woman's loud footfalls grew louder as she began to walk towards them, maybe she couldn't see that well, or maybe she could.

"Rider? Did you find something?" A voice called from the direction the rest of the group had went.

The woman in black stopped. "No, I was just checking something out." Her voice was smooth, clear, beautiful. She turned to walk away. Scarlet and Mike both let out a sigh as they saw her back, but the woman stopped walking again. She turned her head. "You two should head the other direction, it will be getting messy soon." She said with a voice filled with concern. Perhaps they were the good guys, and this woman just happened to stumble upon some survivors. Mike and Scarlet watched in silence as she moved away from them.

()()()

Rider caught back up with the group shortly after leading that couple in the direction where they would not come to any harm. Rider had a faint smile on her face. It wasn't meaningless what they were doing here, at least two people are still alive even after all that's happened. They must be quite the resilient couple.

"Rider, are you certain you did not find anything back there? You seem awefully happy about something." Saber asked her, tilting her head curiously.

"Yes, they will be just fine. They are a resilient couple." Rider made a strange, yet happy face. There was a reason she did not tell Saber or Shirou about the survivors she saw. Shirou would no doubt worry about them and want to help them get to a safe place. They did not have time for such things, so Rider was confident all she needed to do was push them in the right direction. Perhaps they'd be lucky enough to run into the Magi.

"Hm, so that's how it is." Saber nodded, seeming to understand but didn't press the issue. She instinctively knew that whatever Rider had on her mind she didn't want to talk about it. The two of them seemed to think alike sometimes, girls often have a sixth sense about one another.

At that moment the sound of shuffling feet could be heard ahead of them, but whateve was making the sound was concealed by the fog and darkness. Was it them? Had they finally stumbled upon the Legion?

Enhance gripped his pistol tightly and in his other hand removed his large sword from his back. "It's about time. I'm going ahead I'll see you guys in there." He grinned menacingly and then looked forward. "You hear that you bastards! I'm coming to kill every single one of you!" He yelled into the fog and then ran, disappearing into it. Flashes of his gun and sounds of swords clashing could be heard in the distance.

"Enhance!" Shirou called after him.

"That idiot! Does he want to die?" Merem gritted his teeth.

"It's them!" Arcueid strained her eyesight to see if she could see a bit better. She began to see the outlines of many people, all of them now fighting a single person. "Wow... there's a lot. It really is an army." Arcueid said with surprise. As far as she could tell, there were at least a few hundred filling the street, with many more filling in from elsewhere. They were certainly easy to miss in these conditions.

"Let's give him a hand before he gets himself killed." Shirou gritted his teeth. That idiot must be desperate for blood if he just jumped in there like that. The irony of it almost made Shirou laughed. "Trace, on." he muttered the familiar words as he pulled back the firing pin in his head. Picturing the familiar swords Kanshou and Bakuya into his mine, he projected them into reality and into his hands.

Saber's sword appeared in her hand still hidden by her sheath of wind, and Rider materialized her nail-like daggers. Both of them looked at Shirou and nodded, indicating they were ready.

"Here I go!" Arcueid jumped high into the air and landed in the middle of a group of Dead Apostles with a loud crash, splintering the concrete and causing a large plume of dust to rise into the air. The impact sent several vampires flying into midair which Arcueid quickly slammed into the ground, cracking their skulls open.

"Arturia, Rider, let's go!" Shirou kicked off the ground and launched himself into the battle. Two vampires got in his way and blocked his blades, but Shirou quickly counterattacked and slashed them from neck to groin, sending their bodies to the ground in a mess before disippating into dust. Shirou turned around quickly to slash away a Dead Apostle trying to grab him from behind. Killing them was becoming surprisingly easy, it was too easy. He remembered the time when he once fought Caster's bone soldiers. They were brittle and easily destroyed, just like these people. No, Shirou didn't want to call them people. They were monsters, they'd done unspeakable things to the townspeople that Shirou could never forgive them for.

"Haaa!" Behind him, Shirou heard Saber start fighting as well. A loud clang as she parried a sword one of the vampires had only to run him through and kick his body away which became dust before even hitting the ground. As she was dealing with a second one, a third jumped on her from behind and tackled Saber to the ground. Kicking him off she jumped to her feet and cleaved the one she had been fighting in two at the waist.

It wasn't long before they were all surrounded on all sides by the Dead Apostles. Rider and the others seemed to be doing okay, but Shirou was having some trouble. He would often get tackled to the ground or grabbed, within only the first five minutes of fighting Rider and Saber had each saved him once. In truth he wasn't used to fighting so many opponents like this. Shisha were one thing, but these were full fledged vampires. They were cunning, quick, and strong as well. If Shirou had come here as a human and not as a Counter Guardian, he would have been killed within seconds.

Rider herself was amazing to watch. Not only was she very adept at keeping the Apostles at bay with the chains attatched to her nails, but she was also very skilled at fighting a single one while keeping her eyes on others. It all seemed so natural and effortless for her, it was almost like she was dancing with them. If any Dead Apostle managed to get through her twirling chains, they were sent flying away by one of Rider's powerful tornado kicks.

Enhance meanwhile was right in the middle of it all, deftly waving his large sword around. His styles were crazy and all over the place, it seemed like he'd randomly switch to his pistol. Flipping it around and desintegrating Dead Apostles like they were nothing. Whenever one got too close it would be slashed by his sword. His white hair waved as he spun around, even blocking blades with his gun before running them through with his sword. He was a monster, unpredictable and fast as lightning. "Come on! Is this all you're going to throw at me!" He yelled tauntingly into the distance as he fought off the vampires. Someone like him must be getting bored, he wants to fight the Ancestors.

The furthest into the horde of vampires was Arcueid. She fought like an animal with her claws. Mercilessly punching and tearing apart Dead Apostles with her own two hands. If watching Rider was like watching a beautiful dancer, then watching Arcueid was like watching a pack of rabid wolves. Her eyes were glowing yellow as she tore through the vampires before her and soon her fists were completely covered in blood.

As Shirou was busy parrying a blow from a Dead Apostle the one that was sneaking up behind him to go after his neck suddenly fell over dead with a tiny hole in it's forehead. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" A cheeful voice was heard over the commotion. Shirou looked to where the voice was coming from and on top of a nearby house stood Aoko Aozaki.

"You certainly did take your time getting here." Merem shouted up at her while running between the legs of a Dead Apostle before jumping into the air and kicking him in the head.

Aoko laughed. "Sorry about that." Her face then took on a more serious expression and she glanced behind her. "Alright everyone, let 'em have it!" She yelled. The rooftops became lined with Magi who immediately started casing a plethora of spells into the undead horde of vampires, all the while being careful not to hit Shirou and the others. Explosions wracked the street, houses became splintered messes, and in some cases, individual Dead Apostles looked like they sprouted flames from the chest and died.

"Senpai!"

"Shirou!"

Hearing two familiar voices up on the rooftops Shirou looked up to see Sakura and Rin waving at him.

"Shirou, let us handle this. You and the others find the Ancestors quickly!" Rin said as she took out a sapphire from a bag on her hip and tossed it into a crowd of Dead Apostles. The gem shattered and encased a 5 meter wide area in solid ice, vampires and all.

"That's our cue Shirou, let's go!" Arcueid killed the vampires she was currently engaging and punched the block of ice that Rin had created. It shattered like glass, openening up a path out of the main horde into the open street.

"Arturia, Rider, come on. The others will take it from here." Shirou urged them.

"As you wish, I have your back Shirou." Saber nodded.

"I'm coming." Rider said as well and the two of them followed him as he chased Arcueid. Merem saw them and also broke off his fighting and followed after the True Ancestor.

Enhance was the last to leave, killing off a few more Dead Apostles before looking up at the rooftops. On one closeby he saw Ciel and Narbareck toss a few Black Keys into the Legion's bulk. "Wait for me baby, I'll be back soon! I just need to crash this party first!" He called at Ciel with a wide grin on his face.

Ciel looked towards the voice and spotted him. "How about an early victory present?" She smiled faintly, but it was fake. On the inside her anger roared up inside her and the vein in her forehead looked like it was going to rupture. Taking out a Black Key from her robes with all her strength she threw it directly at Enhance.

Enhance jumped to the side where Ciel's Black Key impaled a Dead Apostle through the heart, he howled in pain and fell to the ground. "Sorry but I can't accept something like that. After all, it's a man's job to do the giving except on special occasions. Unfortunately it's not my birthday yet." He winked and blew her a kiss before running off after the others.

Ciel growled angrily and tossed another Black Key at him, only to have it miss and hit another Dead Apostle.

Beside her Narbareck chuckled. "I think you'd make a cute couple." She teased.

"Oh shut up." Ciel stomped her foot and angrily tossed another Black Key into the main bulk of the Legion.


	38. Sisters and Swordsmen

ACT XXXVIII - Sisters and Swordsmen

"I bet they're around here watching the battle from somewhere." Arcueid said to the others as she looked up at the tops of the buildings while running.

"Yeah, that's what I'd do if I were them." Merem nodded in agreement.

"Well, you're half right." The laughter of a small girl echoed through the streets. From a nearby street stepped Altrouge Brunestud. "My my, you've followed me all this way. You're so devoted, Nee-san." Her eyes narrowed at Arcueid who skidded to a halt about 10 meters in front of Altrouge.

"What are you talking about?" Arcueid asked angrily as she grit her teeth.

Behind Altrouge, Rizo appeared as if out of thin air. "The Dark Six is in another part of the city. It seems that the British military has arrived after he let the attack get spread through the news. He is no doubt recruiting them for our own cause as we speak." Rizo said flatly.

"You will tell us where he and the other Ancestors are!" Saber demanded.

Rizo focused his eyes on her and gave her a faint smile. "Good evening. I was hoping you and I would get a chance to meet again." He said in a soft voice as if addressing an old friend.

"Answer the lady's question, scum." Enhance walked forward, tapping the flat edge of his sword on his shoulder.

"Oh, so the traitor is here too. You'll have to wait your turn I'm afraid. My business tonight is with that woman." Rizo pointed at Saber.

"I will talk with you once you tell me where your comrades are hiding. Not before." Saber narrowed her eyes.

Rizo sighed. "Very well, if that is what you wish. They are with The Dark Six at the military's landing site at the airport. I will not stop your friends should they wish to leave, but you must stay here." Rizo smiled after he'd finished revealing the locations of the other Ancestors. Slowly he brought his hand to his sword and drew it.

Saber looked back at Shirou. "You must go on ahead. I will stop this person here."

"But.."

"Please do as I ask. I will see you after the battle is over." Saber said seriously.

"Merem, you too." Arcueid said without taking her eyes off of Altrouge as if fearing she'd run away. Altrouge just stood there, hugging her teddy bear to her chest with a friendly smile on her face.

Merem bowed politely. "As you wish." He replied without emotion.

Shirou sighed. "I'll leave it to you then, Arturia." He looked back at the others who all nodded at him. Kicking off the ground at high speed he sprinted down the neighboring street. Shirou didn't know if Rizo was lying or not, but he certainly didn't seem like it. Either way, they other Dead Apostle Ancestors were not there with Altrouge and Rizo, so they might as well go to the airport and check and see if the British military really did land there as he said. Luckily it wasn't too far, which was very strange because Shirou did not recall seeing helicopters or planes flying over the city. It was possible however that he missed it in the havoc of everything that had been going on or they came in from a direction where they were not able to see or hear them.

Saber watched Shirou's back as he left at a lightning fast speed with the others. Rizo politely stood in front of her without a word. For people like them, words weren't necessary. They would speak to each other with their swords.

"I stand before you on equal ground. I would ask that you do the same and release that boundary on your blade." Rizo smirked.

Saber's eyes widened in surprise. "You know about it?"

Rizo nodded. "Naturally, I have observed your fighting and I know that you hide your sword with a sheath of wind."

"Very well, if it is an equal battle you desire than you shall have it." Saber lowered her stance and narrowed her eyes. "Prepare yourself!"

Saber began to pour her energy into her sword. A torrent of wind began to come from it. The wind raged like a hurricane and the magical energy from Saber's sword was almost visible. Rizo could see the distortions in the air and with it, could see the outline and shape of her sword.

"So tell me Altrouge, why are you and your servant here when the rest of the Ancestors are somewhere else?" Arcueid asked. As Rizo and Saber were preparing to start their fight, Arcueid and Altrouge moved their location so they could speak a bit more.

Altrouge shrugged. "They bore me, and lately Rizo has been having a few arguments with The Dark Six so I thought it was best to separate the two of them for the time being." She answered without much interest.

"Arguments?" Altrouge tilted her head. "Are you not able to control him?" She asked, taunting her.

"Quite the opposite, he obeys whatever I say faithfully and to the letter. Much like Merem Solomon to you." Altrouge explained.

"You don't seem to keep him on much of a leash if you allow him to speak freely like that." Arcueid crossed her arms.

"If you'll forgive me Nee-san, my relationship between my servant and myself is of no concern to you." Altrouge glared.

"Fine, I was just curious anyway." Arcueid shrugged and began cracking her knuckles.

"I know I asked you years ago but I'll ask you again. Will you not reconsider joining us? You will mostly likely become a Demon Lord eventually anyway. Wouldn't it be fun conquering the world with your sister?" Altrouge smiled hopefully.

"Our values differ too greatly, it would end with us fighting even if I did want to join you. Besides, I owe you for what you did to my hair." Arcueid glared menacingly.

Altrouge burst out laughing. "Is that was this is about?" Her eyes were almost in tears now. "That was over a hundred years ago and you still haven't forgiven me?" Altrouge continued her laughter.

"You cheated during the fight and pulled my hair." Arcueid clenched her fist angrily and grit her teeth.

"Would you like to have it back? I've kept it as a trophy for all these years at home. It's a memory of the day that I beat you." Altrouge smiled. She liked the reaction that she was getting from Arcueid.

Arcueid's body started shaking. "Now you've done it, Nee-chan." Her eyes began to glow yellow like a cat's. "It's been awhile since I've last used this, I was saving it for a special occasion." Arcueid was filled with killing intent and it radiated out of her body like a volcano spewing lava. "I think this qualifies! I'm going to punish you good, my dear Nee-chan!"

In a split second the scenery around them changed drastically. The buildings faded away until the ground was a wide, flat landscape that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The concrete sidewalk melted until in it's place rose a grassy field covered in beautiful white flowers. The darkness and the fog was swept away, revealing a night sky. The sky was tinted red by a very large crimson red moon that dominated the sky. The two sisters were separated from the world and placed in another of Arcueid's choosing. This was beyond the magic known as a Reality Marble. This was not an illusion of magic, this was one hundred percent real. Arcueid controlled this space, anything she wished to happen, as long as it is within the rules of the Earth, she can will to happen. This was Arcueid's ultimate magic, and the symbol of the Crimson Moon himself. This was, Marble Phantasm.

Altrouge looked around her, taking in the change of scenery before turning back to Arcueid. Her lips curled into a malicious smile. "Ahh, this certainly brings back memories." She turned her attention back to Arcueid. "I've beaten you once here, I shall do so again." She tossed her teddy bear aside. It flew in the air slowly for what seemed like several minutes. The tension in the air was so thick that it felt like swimming through an olympic sized swimming pool filled with caramel. The stuffed bear hit the flower covered ground with a soft noise and several white flower petals were thrown into the air.

That signaled the fight between the two sisters.

At the same time Saber and Rizo were about to start a battle of their own. The typhoon coming from Saber's sword raged, little by little her sword became visible. Rizo stood and waited patiently, his long black hair swaying wildly in the wind. Soon the barrier was stripped off her sword like a bandage, and the street filled with a bright golden light. Normally, Saber would have just attacked with her barrier, the wind pressure alone had the power to cut a person to ribbons in seconds. However Rizo had been waiting patiently, it would be rude to make a surprise attack like that.

"That's what I've been wanting to see." Rizo cracked a smile and raised his own sword. "My blood has been boiling for a long time. Come. I wish to meet your blade." His voice sounded impatient. A challenge had appeared before him in the form of this woman, he was eager to meet her. There was no need for names, there was no need for words. He wanted to fight her with everything he had.

Within a fraction of a second Saber bent her knees and kicked off the ground. She raised her sword and charged at Rizo with the speed of a bullet. Saber crossed the distance between them in an instant. Her blade met Rizo's with a loud crash, sending a shower of sparks between them. Rizo was pushed back by the force of Saber's blow, but he didn't stagger at all, he took the blow like it was nothing. The two of them glared at each others as their blades clashed. Saber grit her teeth and jumped back when Rizo pushed her, dodging his follow up swing she just barely escaped as his serrated blade cut the hem of her dress.

"Good reflexes." Rizo smirked and ran at her the second Saber's feet touched the ground. Saber deflected the serrated blade, almost sending it flying out of Rizo's hand, however he was able to keep a firm grip on it. He turned the blade in his hand so that the blade was now facing downwards. He brought it down, threatening to impale Saber's head on it. If Saber's reflexes weren't the best, he would have suceeded. However her instincts bored on precognition. Fortunately, she was able to jump back with all her strength just in time before she was killed. Rizo was not trying to draw out the fight at all, every blow he's made so far was meant to kill.

Rizo charged Saber again. Saber raised her sword to block his blade, but instead of meeting his sword he kicked her in the chest. Saber wasn't expecting something like that from him. She grunted in pain as she flew through the air, righting herself mid air she landed on her feet. His kick felt like she had just been hit by a cannon ball. He was very fast, even Saber would have to keep on her toes if she wanted to beat this guy.

As she was recovering herself she heard a large crash next to her, dust and bits of rock flew into the air. She rolled to the side to avoid whatever it was. When the dust cleared she noticed that there was what looked like a cut in the street where Saber used to be. The cut was long, and let almost all the way back to where Rizo was standing there with his blade with a sour look on his face.

"Hm, it seems I missed." He frowned.

Saber grit her teeth. She then took a closer look at his weapon. Cursing herself for not noticing it before, she began to think she was going soft, that her mind was elsewhere. The sword Rizo wielded was indeed fearsome, but now that she really looked. Saber noticed that there were notches in it where the serrated edges ended in a point. That blade could extend, most likely on a chain. "That sword..." She muttered.

"Hmph, so you realized it." Saber barely saw him raise his arm. Rizo swung his sword and extended the blade, the links came unhooked and came straight for Saber in an arc.

Saber dodged to the side and took a chance at the opening created in Rizo's swing. The time the blade would take to retract might give Saber enough time to strike him. Saber charged him. Rizo sidestepped her charge, his sword retracted and he slashed at Saber's back. His sword was deflected by Saber''s armor with a loud noise. Rizo let out a surprised gasp, leaving Saber time to twist around and slash him. The blow was not fatal as Rizo had stepped back just enough, however he still recieved a large gash across his chest and it was now dripping blood onto the ground.

Rizo grunted in pain and bought his hand to his chest to check the damage. After looking at his own blood on his hands he sighed deeply. "Damn that woman for breaking my armor." He cursed through clenched teeth.

"Surely something like that will not hinder you that much." Saber scoffed as she raised her sword in a defensive stance.

Rizo gingerly licked the blood off his fingers. "Right you are." He raised his sword and grinned. "Are you prepared for another round?"

The sisters stood facing each other, both had to stop fighting and catch their breath. The large crimson moon loomed overhead and gave the world a faint red glow. Both of the girls were covered in many small cuts. The slashes on their chests and faces were more severe, trickling a small amount of blood and their clothes were torn here and there.

"You've gotten better, Sister." Altrouge said with a faint smile between breaths.

Arcueid chuckled. "Of course I have." She frowned once she saw her torn skirt, she lifted it up with her fingertips to examine it. "I really liked this outfit, I'll have you pay for that too." She sighed.

"You've done the same to me, I believe that makes us about even." Altrouge bent her knees.

Arcueid cracked her knuckles. "That's where you're wrong. These clothes have sentimental value. I think I'll have to teach you what it means to value something somebody gave to you." Arcueid bent her knees as well.

Altrouge tilted her head. "Oh, that sounds interesting." She grinned showing a hint of a pointed tooth in the corner of her mouth.

The two siblings kicked the ground and charged each other. If someone was watching them, it would appear as if they were flying at each other, kicking up flowers from the ground in their wake.

Arcueid aimed a spinning kick at Altrouge. She raised her arm and blocked it, flexing her elbow and grabbing Arcueid's leg. Using Arcueid's weight to her advantage Altrouge began to spin around until she built up enough momentum before tossing Arcueid away.

Arcueid righted herself midair and hit the ground skidding backwards, tearing up the field of white flowers. Despite her child like stature much like Merem's, Altrouge Brunestud was a formidable opponent and just as capable a fighter as Arcueid was herself. Gritting her teeth and uttering a growl Arcueid raked her fingers across the ground, sending four streaks of energy screaming toward Altrouge. This energy had just as much cutting power as any sword and would cut anything it touched into ribbons.

"Hmph, is that all?" Altrouge scoffed and copied Arcueid's movement sending her own shadowy version of the attack. It screamed towards Arcueid's and the two met in the middle. A shockwave blew through the grass as the explosion shook the ground. The two attacks had canceled each other out with a large explosion filling the air with dust.

The dust settled, revealing a frowning Arcueid. "It seems you're forcing me to play a bit rougher, Altrouge." Arcueid narrowed her eyes which began to glow a bright yellow color, she then casually raised an arm and snapped her fingers.

The ground began to rumble violently before many holes were torn open in the area around where Altrouge was standing. She turned her body and looked around her, confused at what was going on. At that moment many metallic chains that were at least a foot thick burst forth from the ground with a sickening crunch. Rising high into the air like snakes until their tops sat at least 75 feet above the ground. The tips turned all at once and hurled themselves straight at Altrouge.

Altrouge gasped and jumped to the side, barely avoiding the first chain. She had to dodge again to avoid the other one as they crashed into the ground sending debris flying into the air. Again, and again, and again Altrouge was forced to dodge the giant metal chains coming after her relentlessly. At the time she dodged the fifth one Arcueid had crossed the distance and was waiting for her as before she had even hit the ground from dodging.

"This is it!" Arcueid clenched her fist, pulled her arm back, and with all her strength drove her fist into Altrouge's stomach.

As the blow connected with her stomach, Altrouge screamed in pain and was sent flying through the air after coughing up blood. She flew for what felt like several minutes before connecting with the ground. She yelped in pain and skidded through the field of flowers for several meters before coming to a stop. She gasped for breath and clutched her stomach. It felt like a hole had been punched through her body, even though there was none. Several of her ribs had been broken and she coughed up blood again, leaving a small trickle of it running down from the corner of her mouth.

Arcueid walked casually toward her sister's crumpled body. She was silent and her eyes continued to glow as she walked the path of green that Altrouge's body had carved through the white flowers. Arcueid reached Altrouge, the large chains that appeared behind her stayed still as if they were an extension of Arcueid's will. Altrouge looked up at Arcueid that was looming over her. Altrouge grit her teeth and glared at her sister as she reached down, wrapping her slender fingers around her throat.

Arcueid lifted her off the ground by the throat. Altrouge struggled trying to pry Arcueid's hand away, but it was to no avail.

"It's my win, Altrouge." Arcueid said as she slowly began to tighten the grip on Altrouge's neck.


	39. Sisters and Swordsmen: Round Two

ACT XXXIX - Sisters and Swordsmen: Round Two

Arcueid walked casually toward her sister's crumpled body. She was silent and her eyes continued to glow as she walked the path of green that Altrouge's body had carved through the white flowers. Arcueid reached Altrouge, the large chains that appeared behind her stayed still as if they were an extension of Arcueid's will. Altrouge looked up at Arcueid that was looming over her. Altrouge grit her teeth and glared at her sister as she reached down, wrapping her slender fingers around her throat.

Arcueid lifted her off the ground by the throat. Altrouge struggled trying to pry Arcueid's hand away, but it was to no avail.

"It's my win, Altrouge." Arcueid said as she slowly began to tighten the grip on her sister's neck.

Altrouge lifted a shaking arm and gripped Arcueid's wrist tightly, her vision was starting to blur, but she could still see her sister staring down at her. "I-It's not over yet." She choked. She wasn't about to die so pitifully. Summoning up her last reserves of strength she managed to pry away a few of Arcueid's fingers, giving her just enough leverage to swing her small body and drive her feet into Arcueid's chest.

Arcueid yelped in pain and was kicked a few meters away, sliding through the grass for a few inches before coming to a stop. Altrouge took this opprotunity to catch her breath, coughing wildly from the lack of oxygen. It only took a split second for Arcueid to recover from the attack, jumping to her feet and sending her thick silver chains after Altrouge once again.

Altrouge took a deep breath, her eyes began to glow a bright red as she stood in the direct path of her sister's chains. The ground began to rumble once again and chains identical to Arcueid's burst forth from the ground, Altrouge's chains were blackend as if they had been in a large fire. The chains hurled towards Altrouge's locations and smacked away the silver chains with a loud mettalic clang.

"Tch." Arcueid clucked her tongue. She didn't expect her sister to be able to recover that quickly after nearly having her windpipe crushed, yet she was able to use her own Marble Phantasm in spite of her injuries. Arcueid charged, she couldn't let Altrouge recover too much now that she had gotten serious. Crossing the distance between her and Altrouge in an instand, the large chains loomed overhead having a power struggle of their own. Each trying to attack the enemy while protecting their master.

Arcueid aimed a punch at her sister's head, but Altrouge managed to weave her head around her fist. She jumped into the air and aimed a spinning kick at Arcueid's head. In a split second Arcueid raised her arm and blocked the kick, the punch aimed for Altrouge with her left hand connected with her stomach and she was sent flying back through the air with a yelp of pain.

Altrouge landed on her feet and was took a knee to catch her breath. Her ribs hadn't started to heal quite yet and everytime she moved it sent a sharp pain through her body. She grit her teeth to bare it and stood up to see her sister rushing toward her. If she was going to keep up with Arcueid now, she was going to have to increase the amount of power she was currently using. Her eyes began to glow brighter than before as Arcueid closed in on her. Altrouge jumped to the side and dodged her sister's attack. The grass at her feet began to sway before the wind picked up.

The wind was like a typhoon and swayed the field of flowers from it's force. Arcueid dare not approach Altrouge as she was. The barrier of wind surrounding her would cut anything that came close enough to ribbons in mere seconds just as efficiently as any blade. The sounds of the chains doing battle overhead mixed with the sound of the wind. The chains wrapped around each other like snakes, pulling on one another before the silver chains snapped with a loud noise and fell to the ground in pieces.

"Grr." Arcueid growled and jumped to the side as Altrouge's chains came after her. Their heads slammed into the ground as she dodged them kicking up chunks of dirt and rock. Altrouge came at her then, still surrounded by the barrier of wind, her dress whipping about in the hurricane around her. Arcueid was kicked in the chest with the force that felt like a cannonball, the barrier around Altrouge's feet ripped through her clothing and her flesh. Blood dripped from the wounds and she was driven back a meter or so, sliding along the ground only to be picked up by one of Altrouge's chains. The cold metal wrapped around her skin, squeezed her tightly and raised her body into the air.

Arcueid felt her body being crushed and she coughed up a small amount of blood while being waved about in the air. She put her hands on the cold metal and tried breaking it, but she was unable to pry it away from her body. "Dammit, they're just as strong as mine." She choked out.

Altrouge glanced at Arcueid's chest from the ground and frowned. "You never stop growing do you, Sister?" She sighed deeply. "I bet it has something to do with that Tohno person and that lazy lifestyle you've been leading. I may have to go kill him after I'm done with you." Altrouge's wounds began to heal, albiet slowly. Her bones were in the process of repairing themselves, however the process had only just started so she was still in a bit of pain.

"Jeez. It makes me angry even looking at you like that." Altrouge clucked her tongue. "So, dissappear!" She raised her arm and snapped her fingers.

The blackened chains looming overhead clutching Arcueid squeezed her tighter. She cried out in pain as the metal dug into her skin, she could feel her ribs cracking, yet she could do nothing to stop it. Down on the ground she saw Altrouge make a movement with her arm and soon after that, the chain that was holding her began hurling itself towards the ground. Arcueid could only grit her teeth as she was slammed into the dirt with a loud crash. Dirt, rocks, and debris flew high into the air and the impact that was created left a large crater in the field of flowers that now was mangled by the sisters' battle.

A thick cloud of dust shrouded the crater in which Arcueid now lay unconcious, her breathing erratic and uneven. Her body was not moving and she lay in an awkward looking position, her hair was splayed all over the place and the majority of her clothing was torn up. A small drop of blood ran down her chin from her mouth and her skin had many small scratches accross it. Small footsteps could be heard approaching the crater as Altrouge crossed the field to finish off her sister if she was not already dead from the impact.

"Ahahahaha." Altrouge's laughter rang out as she jumped down into the crater with her sister's body. "You were always the favorite weren't you? You look pathetic now." She smirked and approached her sister's body, kneeling down to where she was almost at eye level. "I'll admit, you've gotten a lot better. I can praise you for at least that much." Altrouge reach her hand out and wiped the blood from Arcueid's lips.

"You know Nee-san, I had my doubts before since you hadn't gone full power yet... but you really were aiming to kill me earlier weren't you?" Altrouge continued to speak to the unconcious Arcueid as if she could hear her. "I only wanted to make you a little irritated, but it seems I pushed your buttons a bit too hard and made you really mad. You always did have a short fuse." She chuckled, however the action sent a pain through her chest from her broken ribs and she clenched her teeth. "I've been thinking a little bit on what I would do if I ever got into this position. If I would actually be able to kill you, even though you're my sister." Altrouge's lips curled into a smirk. "The answer to that of course, is yes." She cracked her knuckles.

Altrouge stood up and took a good, long look at the horrible state that Arcueid was in. Marble Phantasm was still activated, and even though Arcueid was unconcious it would remain active until she is killed. Altrouge heaved a sigh. "It was short lived. However we did have some good times didn't we?" Unbeknownst to Altrouge, it was at this exact moment that Arcueid's hand twitched.

()()()

Blood splattered onto the ground. The blonde woman grit her teeth and put her hand over the wound on her shoulder. The man across the dark street from her gazed back at her with a smiled. "Come now, I'm surprised I was able to wound you with that. Are you getting tired?" He mocked her.

Saber narrowed her eyes. "It will take a lot more than that to slow me down, Rizo." She assured him and kicked off from the ground with an explosion, using a burst of Mana at her feet much like a pair of rocket boots to hurl herself at her enemy. She crossed the distance in a fraction of a second and raised her blade to cut Rizo in two.

Rizo jumped straight back to avoid Saber's strike, however he underestimated the length of her blade by only a fraction and his stomach was scratched by the tip of the blade. Before he even had time to feel the pain Saber was right up on his face and came down with her blade, cutting into Rizo's shoulder. Blood poured from the wound and dripped onto the ground. "Tch. You planned that didn't you?" Rizo clucked his tongue as he realised it. Saber had deliberately cut him shallow to knock him off balance to get a clear blow for a deeper cut.

"Of course." Saber said as if it were obvious.

Rizo clutched the handle of his blade tighter as his other hand held his bleeding shoulder. "We'll never get anywhere this way." They had just been trading blows so far, matching each other's swordsmanship. Rizo let out a breath. He believed it was time to step up their battle, Saber's sword was indeed something special. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off of it, he felt like there was something special about it, like he should know who this woman in front of him really was.

Saber raised her eyebrow. "If you have been holding back as your actions seem to say, then I would suggest otherwise." She flicked her sword, the blood from her blade spattering onto the ground.

Rizo's lips curled into a toothy grin. "As you wish my lady. If you wish me to hold absolutley nothing back, then I would be happy to oblige you. However it would be a shame if you die too quickly, so prepare yourself." His eyes began to glow a bright red, as did his sword. What looked like a shadow began to take over Rizo's arm. Saber thought it looked very similar to Sakura's Shadow Element, like it was some sort of curse that Rizo was manafesting. Not only did the shadow affect Rizo's arm up to his elbow, but his entire sword as well.

Saber watched the transformation, all the while trying to analyze what sort of abilities this change would bring. Sakura's magic could do everything from halting an enemy's movement in it's own shadow, to summoning multiple familiars to fight alongside her. If such was the case this could possibly turn the tide for Rizo. He was a powerful opponent, if he could summon familiars to fight with him Saber could possibly be overwhelmed. As fantastic a swordsman as Saber was, taking on multiple opponents with Rizo's power would prove to be quite troublesome. This of course was all just a bit of Saber's speculation, there could be numerous other unknown abilities that she wasn't considering.

Rizo raised his arm and swung his arm. The shadow extended just as his sword normally would and the tip shot straight for Saber's chest like a bullet from a gun. Saber easily jumped to the side and dodged it immediately lowering her stance to charge Rizo and cut him down.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Instead of pulling his sword back like normal it became as stiff as a board. Gripping the handle with his other hand he swung the elongated shadow blade to decapitate Saber. She ducked under the sword and rolled to the side. The shadowy blade cut into the buildings on the left side of the street and turned them into a crumbling mass of debris, rubble, and dust in a matter of seconds.

"What? It changed direction?" Saber gasped and looked beside her at the destruction Rizo's sword had caused to the buildings.

"Hey, hey, where do you think you're looking!" Saber barely had time to turn her head back to look at Rizo before his sword came at her again, the straight movement was the same as before. Saber dodged it as she did the first time by sidestepping it.

Saber used another mana burst from her feet to speed herself towards Rizo, if she got close enough it would be tough for him to use that long blade and she could cut him down with ease. She'd crossed the short distance between them almost instantly and raised her blade to cut him in two.

It was then that she noticed it, Rizo was smiling. The very second Saber tried to pull back her attack, something punctured her back from behind. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground, she could feel the warm blood pouring out of her back. The wound was deep. Lifting herself up she saw what it was sticking out of her back. It Rizo's blade, somehow the blade had curved at an impossible angle and pierced her from behind.

"Are you finished? I tried to miss your spinal cord, but I may have grazed it." Rizo sounded almost apologetic and regretful.

Saber glared at him. That sword could attack her from any direction, at any angle. Every time she moved it caused a sharp pain to shoot through her entire body, it was just as Rizo said. His sword had grazed her spinal cord but did not directly impact it, she wouldn't even be able to move if that were the case. "I must apologize.." Saber started to say as she reached for her sword and grabbed it.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Rizo asked as he returned his sword to it's normal length by retracting it.

Saber used her sword to lift herself up off the ground, using it as a crutch. Intense pain filled her body, and she grit her teeth. Rizo jumped back about 5 meters to avoid any surprise attacks. Saber couldn't lose here, she had to live no matter what. She didn't care what happened to her, but there were people waiting for her to come back. "I cannot allow myself to be injured any more. There is someone who would be very upset if I returned in such a state." She gripped the handle of her sword tightly. "So it seems I will have to end this with the next blow. Therefore I must apologize for having to end this so abruptly." She raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Rizo.

Rizo chuckled. "You're not in any condition to be saying something like that." Saber looked like she could barely stand, and blood was dripping heavily from the wound on her back, her dress was torn at her shoulders and down at her feet. She didn't look like she could fight at all anymore. However her eyes held a determination, it was as if she would refuse death even if it stood before her. This interested him very much. "Very well, if you wish to end this with the next blow then I shall oblige you.."

Rizo raised his sword into the air, "Come, Neardark!" He called and the shadow around the blade wavered and exploded outward like a shockwave, it did no damage to Saber, but the surrounding buildings had their windows blown out, whereas Saber only staggered a little from the impact. Rizo's sword had not only grown in length but width as well, the shadowy blade was now at least fifteen feet long and four feet wide. "This is the true name of my sword. True Demon Neardark, this blade has a demon's soul fused within the steel, there isn't anything that it's shadow cannot cut." Rizo smirked triumphantly. "However, I can also release all of this shadow at once, anything in it's path will be destroyed."

Rizo gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and drew the sword back, cutting into the buildings next to and behind him. "Disappear!" With all his strength he swung the blad in a forward arc, with a loud rumbling noise the mass of shadow separated from the sword and came screaming towards Saber, tearing up the street and the buildings in it's path.

She had been waiting for this, Saber had just one trump card left a counter that could not be beaten. "Avalon!" Just as the wave of shadow energy was right in front of her, she held out her hand and called the name. An ornate golden sheath materialized in front of her. The shadow hit the sheath and shattered, Saber's body began to shimmer and glow with a golden light as bright as the sun and the shadow passed her harmlessly. In that instant she lowered her stance, gripped her sword and charged through the remainder of the shadow without fear.

Avalon. The sheath of Excalibur said to have granted King Arthur imortality. As long as he wielded the sheath, he could not be felled by blades or ravaged by disease or age. It's use as a Noble Phantasm was similar, it encases the user in the realm of Avalon cutting off the wielder from the physical world. While active, no harm may come to anyone under Avalon's protection.

Rizo gasped as he saw Saber's glowing form burst forth from the shadow. "What!" He couldn't believe his eyes even as the woman in front of him raised her sword with both arms.

"Behold! Excalibur!" She called, the blade of her sword began to glow a bright gold the same as the outline on Saber's body. The light blinded Rizo but he still raised his sword to block Saber's strike. Saber's sword cut straight through Rizo's sword and broke the blade. An explosion of light came from the blade and Rizo felt it's icy sting cut through his flesh.

Rizo cried out loudly in pain and dropped the remainder of his sword which fell to the ground with a clang. "Excalibur... huh?" He said with a painful breath as he fell to his knees. He coughed and a small amount of blood trailed out of the corner of his mouth. Saber only looked down at him without expression. "You really are the King of Knights." Rizo's vision was starting to blur, the wound across his chest was pouring blood onto the ground with wet noises. "I hope Altrouge is able to settle things..." He lost the strength to hold his body up and he fell onto the cold pavement. "I must apologize Altrouge, it looks as though I will not be coming home for awhile." He lamented as he lost conciousness.

Avalon's protection faded around Saber and the pain caught up with her, causing her to grit her teeth and lean for support on one of the buildings. She did not look back at Rizo's body after she'd started walking in the direction that she had sent Shirou and the others. She sheathed her sword and disappeared into the fog, chasing after Shirou.

()()()

Five minutes earlier...

"It's too bad my dear sister, we could have had a lot of fun." Altrouge raised her arm to deal Arcueid the killing blow. Just as she was about to decapitate her sister, she felt a hand tightly grasp her ankle. She looked down and saw Arcueid's glowing yellow eyes glaring up at her.

"Who said the fun was going to stop here?" Arcueid snarled and hopped to her feet, gripping Altrouge by the ankle so tightly that her fingernails dug into her flesh and drew blood.

"Hey! Let me go!" Altrouge commanded, however her voice shook indicating that she was afraid. Arcueid looked furious, her recovery was sudden so she must have gotten some backup from Gaia. Altrouge did in fact know about Arcueid's backup, however she still thought she could beat her sister despite that.

"As you wish!" Arcueid clamped down on Altrouge's ankle, a loud crack was heard as her bones were crushed causing her to cry out in pain. Arcueid flung her almost 50 feet into the air, high above the field of flowers which now looked decimated from their fight. The crimson moon loomed above her like the harbinger of death. Somehow, Altrouge knew that her fight was almost over.

As Altrouge began to fall back to the ground, four silver chains erupted from the ground and wrapped themselves around her limbs before she fell ten feet. Altrouge struggled yet she wasn't able to break them even with her strength. She could only look down as Arcueid's clothes repaired themselves, covering up her exposed skin and melting into a completely different design. Her clothes became a single beautiful white dress, trimmed in gold that stretched all the way to the ground. It was a dress befitting her title as Princess of the True Ancestors as well as her role of Archetype Earth.

Arcueid raised her arms into the sky, looking up at Altrouge who was wrapped in chains. Arcueid dropped her arms and the chains holding Altrouge hurled her towards the ground where she collided into the grass and dirt with an explosion that shook the ground. Writhing in pain Altrouge could do nothing as the chains around her wrists and ankles held her against the ground.

Arcueid raised her hands once again towards the sky, focusing her attention on the huge crimson moon above them. The ground began to rumble again, the sky grew brighter and the moon above them began to grow larger little by little bathing the land in red light.

Altrouge turned her head and looked towards the sky as the moon looming overhead drew closer and closer. Her sister planned to drop the moon right on top of her. "Arcueid?" She called, hoping to see some kind of reaction from her but there was none. The moon reflected in her eyes as it continued to grow closer, her thoughts turned to Rizo and that woman. She hoped that Rizo had won his fight, he could not help her where she was but at least he would be alive. The surface of the moon drew closer, Altrouge could feel it's weight on her now threatening to crush her body. "Arcueid!" She cried again, letting out a scream at the surface of the moon slowly drew closer and began to crush her bones. It was then that her vision turned white and her world was engulfed.

The bright light faded and the two sisters were once again on the cold, misty streets of London. Altrouge lay motionless on the cold pavement, her body covered in blood. Arcueid let out a sigh of relief and walked slowly over to her, she bent down and grasped her silky hair. She jerked her hand back and tore off a large chuck of Altrouge's hair now leaving her with only shoulder length hair.

Arcueid held up the hair and examined it for a second before opening her palm and letting the wind blow the threads away. She took a few steps away before turning her head back to look at her sister. "That was all I wanted from you. Go home." Arcueid frowned and heaved a sigh, "The only reason you're in the state you're in is because someone would be very angry at me if I finished you off." She then narrowed her eyes. "The second I see you when he's not nearby I will not hesitate to rip you limb from limb." She said coldly and walked away.


	40. Cannonball Run

ACT XL - Cannonball Run

Shirou's feet padded loudly on the quiet streets as he ran through them. Off in the distance he could see spotlights rising in front of the houses. The landing zone of the military that he'd heard had landed must be there.

"Those dumbasses, they're practically screaming "We're here, come kick our asses."" Enhance mumbled as he ran a bit ahead of Shirou with a weapon in each of his hands.

"They certainly are bold." Rider said. "I hope that we are able to beat The Dark Six to them." She added hopefully. The chain that connected the daggers in her hands swayed noisily as she ran next to Shirou.

"That's all well and good but there is one thing I would like to point out. We all have battles ahead of us, would it not be better to speed our way there as fast as possible? It would only take a minute or so with my demon and Rider's Noble Phantasm." Merem suggested.

"Rider's...?" Shirou asked.

Rider nodded. "Yes, Bellerophon. You have seen it before haven't you?" She asked for confirmation.

Shirou nodded back. "If Sakura can do it, then so can I. Do it, Rider!" He said confidently. In the back of his mind, he wasn't too sure about riding it. He had seen how fast Rider's Noble Phantasm was and it would indeed get them to where the British Military currently was.

Enhance looked over at Merem as Rider began to activate her Noble Phantasm. "Alright Solomon, let's go as well."

"As you wish." Merem snapped his fingers and the shaped of his large ray-like demon bubbled up from the ground like a shadow.

Rider grabbed Shirou's hand and pulled him up onto the white Pegasus which emitted a bright white light. "Hold on tightly please." She warned.

Shirou nodded and with a bit of hesitation wrapped his arms tightly around Rider's waist. Rider grabbed the reins around the Pegasus and urged it into the air. The rush of air almost caused Shirou to slip backward at the sudden acceleration but he managed to hold on.

Meanwhile Enhance casually walked onto the leathery skin on the back of Merem's demon and took a seat, crossing his legs. "You should hold on to me at least, I won't be responsible for you falling off and getting impaled on a signpost." Merem said.

Enhance chuckled. "That won't be neccesary, just follow those other two." Merem shrugged and took off, it didn't matter to him if he fell off and died. Enhance cast a glance at the bright white light ahead of them. "That lucky bastard getting to ride with that beautiful woman..." He frowned.

"That's my line." Merem sighed. "I wish I could replace you with Arcueid." He lamented as they flew on.

As expected they crossed the distance in a matter of minutes. However Rider did not wish to land too close. She yelled back to Merem and announced her plan to scout the area first. After all, this was where the final battle with The Dark Six would take place. "We must leave nothing to chance." She said to Shirou, who nodded at her. "Alright, go ahead and head in."

Rider took the Pegasus down to street level and landed, careful to stay below the buildings so they would not be spotted. Disappearing as it landed Rider turned around and watched Merem and Enhance land as well.

"I will go ahead and look around a bit." She was about to run off on her own when Shirou stopped her by grabbing her arm. She was so surprised that she stopped in her tracks and looked back at him.

"Let's go together Rider. Something isn't right here, it's very quiet isn't it? Since we're this close wouldn't we at least have seen some patrols around?" Shirou suggested.

"Now that you mention it, the military should have this area completely locked down. It is rather quiet." Enhance pondered.

"Right? I don't want anything to happen to Rider if she goes alone." Shirou nodded.

Rider's lips curled into a faint smile. "As you wish. Then let us proceed." She began walking along the side of the building and the others followed behind her.

The spotlights loomed above them and their light reached high into the night sky that could even be seen through the dense fog. No sound could be heard save for their footsteps. No soldiers, no vehicles, no other sound of any kind.

Rider walked out, leaving the safety of the buildings to get a better look. The others followed her, seeing the outline of where the military had landed. There was little movement and a large chain link fence surrounding the border that kept outsiders out.

From far off within the foggy compound Rider heard a faint popping noise and a small flash of light. "Shirou, get back!" Rider quickly spun around and pushed Shirou out of the way, who looked surprised at Rider's sudden movement. A small object whizzed passed Rider's ear and took a small bit of her hair with it before imbedding itself in the side of a nearby building.

"Rider what are you doing?" Shirou asked in confusion.

"Keep your head down you idiot. If you die, then the Ancestors outnumber us, meaning we all die." Enhance growled as they retreated back to the safety of the building. "Those bastards, using snipers." He grumbled.

"They may have mistook us for the Dead Apostle Ancestors." Merem pondered.

Shirou thought for a moment. "I can get us in." He said confidently after only a moment.

"You've thought of something, Shirou?" Rider turned around from looking around the corner of the building. The tense expression she'd held until now softened at the uplifting news.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, all we need is a way to get into the compound without getting our heads blown off. Since that's the case I'll just make a shield, the best one there is as a matter of fact."

Another faint noise was heard from within the fog and Enhance jumped to the side to avoid the bullet that was speeding for his head. "If you can do something like that, then hurry up. We're not getting anywhere standing around and talking while waiting to get shot." Enhance said impatiently.

Shirou nodded. "Alright, let's do it." Shirou took a breath and stepped out from the safety of the buildings.

"Shirou! What in the world are you doing?" Rider exclaimed in surprise. Shirou hadn't created his shield yet, but he'd stepped into harms way. Rider took a step forward to stop him but then she herself was stopped by Merem, who had grabbed the hem of her skirt.

"Calm yourself. I doubt that he stepped out there to get himself killed." He said with an expressionless face as he watched Shirou.

Shirou closed his eyes, pulling back the firing pin within his head. He heard a small popping noise from way off in the distance, but that didn't matter to him. He pulled the trigger and the firing pin released. "Rho Aias!" He called out as he extended his arm in front of him.

A bright light flashed blinding Rider, Merem, Enhance, and even Shirou himself. Shirou had little concern for the bullet whizzing towards him, because in front of him bloomed a flower. The seven layered shield used by Aias in the Trojan War to block the spear of the great hero Hector. Shirou stole this great shield after seeing it in action in the 5th Holy Grail War. It is the ultimate defense, able to block any projectile with ease, magical or otherwise. Needless to say, a normal bullet, even one of the highest calibur is useless against the Aias.

Shirou grit his teeth as he felt a small amount of pain in his shoulder. A wound opened up there and blood began flowing out. This was a side effect of using the Aias. It is linked with its owner, and whatever damage the Aias takes is transfered to it's wielder. However it wasn't a specatular attack and was only enough to draw blood as the bullet pinged off of Aias' surface.

"Alright, stay behind me." Shirou turned around and motioned for everyone to follow. Rider, Merem, and Enhance followed Shirou as he ran for the fence. Rider was getting a bit worried as many bullets began to bounce off of Shirou's shield, and in doing so Shirou was in turn being hurt by them. He was purposefully causing himself pain to make sure that the rest of them got to their destination unharmed. However, every wound that he recieved could hinder him in his final battle with The Dark Six. This worried Rider very much.

"Allow me to get the door for you." Enhance unsheathed his sword from his back when the group crossed the fence, raised it above his head and easily slashed an opening in the links. Shirou easily pushed through with the Aias and entered the compound. Not far in there was an armored truck parked conveniently in the path of the snipers, and next to that was a warehouse.

"There!" Shirou pointed it out to the others and they followed him. He released the magical energy flowing into the Aias and it ceased to function and faded from existance.

"That's some shield you have there." Enhance watched the Aias fade away slowly with a look of amazement.

Shirou smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, I can't count the number of times that thing has saved my bacon."

"I believe now we should make our way inside that outbuilding. We should be able to sneak out the back door and catch those snipers from behind." Merem suggested as he peeked his head around the corner. He himself found it strange that he wasn't shot at, perhaps the gunmen found it difficult to shoot at someone who look like a child. He chuckled at the thought. "They'll regret that." He mumbled to himself.

"Alright, well they've fired off quite a few shots so I'm sure they have to reload by now. We should go now before they have a chance to recover." Shirou decided. They had a disadvantage as far as range went. Enhance's pistol was not made for long ranged combat, and neither Rider nor Merem had any long ranged capabilities as far as he knew. Shirou could probably kill one of the snipers, but judging by the rate of fire he'd recieved on the shield while running, there were at least three shooters. One of the others could easily dispatch him while he was killing one.

"Let's go in 3." Shirou held up three fingers and began counting them down. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Two. The air went deadly silent and the slight wind began to pick up. This would prove advantageous against the gunmen if something went wrong. If they didn't account for the extra wind then they would certainly miss every shot they fired.

One. The fog had all but cleared up by now, all that was left was the piercing darkness. Luckily there were a few standing lights in the area of the airport they were at. Currently no planes were going in or out so that meant that something was happening inside. Shirou and his group were on a side of the runway near the end, if they wanted to get into the actual building they still had quite a way to go. More than likely the snipers were placed around the building itself.

"Go!" Shirou shouted and ran out first. He heard the footsteps of the others behind him so he knew that they were following him. The warehouse was a few yards away so it wasn't like there was no danger. A shot was fired and Shirou had to jump to the side to avoid it. They'd finished reloading earlier than he thought.

Enhance drew his gun and fired off a couple shots, most likely to draw the snipers' fire away from Shirou. His long coat billowed behind him in the wind as he ran behind Shirou, shooting his weapon over his shoulder.

Enhance saw a large spurt of blood pour out from the back of Shirou's shoulder. "Gah!" Shirou yelped in pain but stumbled a little. The bullet went straight though his shoulder and left a large hole for an exit wound. Shirou stumbled a little but Enhance pushed him from behind.

"Keep going, or the next one won't miss!" Enhance yelled.

Shirou grit his teeth and bared the pain. He could feel Rider's worried stare at his back. In the passed Shirou had broken many bones, bruised many ribs, pulled many muscles. But that bullet passing through his left shoulder was the worst physical pain he'd ever felt other than having been almost cut in half in the 5th Holy Grail War.

The group reached the storage building and they all ducked inside quickly, luckily the door wasn't locked so Shirou was able to just bust the door down easily with his shoulder. He shut the door behind the others and leaned against the wall, clutching his arm.

"Shirou, are you alright?" Rider asked, her eyes wide with concern.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It just hurts is all." He answered. In reality he wasn't so sure. Even though he was a Counter Guardian, he could still die from blood loss and in this old shed, there was no way to take care of the wound. What's more, his auto-healing would take a couple of hours to fully heal the wound. Such time was a luxury they did not have.

Shirou tore a sleeve off of his overcoat and tied it around his shoulder to close off the blood flow. It would be very difficult to use that arm now, he may have to fight The Dark Six with only his right arm which would put him at a disadvantage.

"Next time you should just let me draw their fire while the rest of you book it the rest of the way." Enhance hefted his gun to his shoulder. "You never know, I may be able to kill them." He grinned.

Merem chuckled and crossed his arms. "That's the first thing you've said that I agree with. If we're going to go, we should go quickly."

Shirou grabbed the cloth around his shoulder with his teeth and tightened it to make sure it would stay on even while moving around. "Alright, that should do it." He said and stood up.

"I'll run out first and draw their fire while the rest of you make for the end of the tarmac. I hope you can run fast, I really don't like being shot at." Enhance said nonchalontly as he drew his demonic sword from his back and gripped the handle tightly. His other hand gripped his pistol and he flicked the safety off with his thumb.

"Are you ready, Rider?" Shirou asked.

"Yes, I can use my Noble Phantasm if neccesary however I would like to save it. Once or twice is not a problem, but at the distance I am from Sakura right now it could cause problems for both of us if I use it more than that. The link between us is stretched very thin and Sakura is fighting her own battle now." Rider explained.

"Okay, let's get this party started!" Enhance said enthusiastically and kicked open the door of the small storage facility they were hiding out in. Not a second passed after he stepped out that shots were fired from the opposite end of the runway. Enhance sidestepped the bullets rather gracefully and fired back with his pistol.

Shirou and the othes bolted out the door while Enhance was distracting the snipers. The end of the runway was about 200 yards away, fortunately Shirou and the others could run at speeds that are impossible for humans. Hopefully Enhance would be able to keep the gunmen distracted long enough.

Unfortunately this tactic did not last very long and at least one of the snipers started firing at Shirou. They had not even covered half the distance before their cover was blown. Shirou jumped to the side to avoid the bullet where it impacted at the ground near his feet.

Enhance growled and held up his pistol carefully, taking aim at the vague direction the shots were coming from. Judging by the angle of the shots and the slight wind, they were coming from the around the second floor. Enhance waited for them to fire at Shirou again before pulling the trigger on his weapon. After that, the shots stopped entirely.

"Got one! Looks like they got scared and ran off. You're all clear guys!" Enhance called as he began to run after them. He had been lagging behind quite a bit due to dodging the bullets.

"Looks like you were useful for once." Merem mocked him with a smirk.

Shirou and the others reached the end of the runway with little trouble. There were a few planes docked but no crew members were out servicing them, there were always people on the runway loading luggage or conducting repairs or maintanence of some kind on the planes.

"Shirou, there is an entrance there." Rider pointed towards a large door under one of the docking areas. It must be a service entrance for the maintanence crew. Shirou followed Rider to the door and grabbed the handle, pushing the door upward from the bottom like a garage door.

The room Shirou entered was empty except for stacks of luggage, loading equipment and a couple of forklifts along with what looked like a tank used to hold fuel.

"It's empty?" Enhance said as he stepped quietly into the room.

"Looks that way. But we can't say for certain unless we look around." Shirou was unconvinced that the place was really empty, he had a feeling in the back of his mind he should find a way into the main hub of the airport and look around.

Merem walked around and looked curiously at the bags like he'd never seen so much before.

"There's a door back here." Shirou weaved his way around some shelves and found a small door that led to some stairs after opening it. The others followed him up the steps which led into another empty room. This room was completely empty save for a door, which led into a long hallway. The hallway looked like it curved around in a circle and there were shops lining it. It was the food court, and it also appeared completely empty.

"I don't feel any human presence at all." Rider turned her head slowly from side to side, checking both ends of the hallway.

Shirou walked down the path to the right. His footsteps echoed loudly on the lenolium floor. The others followed silently, their eyes alert for anything that might happen. The remaining sniper retreated when the other was killed by Enhance so there was at least one other person here.

"I bet the military are holed up in here somewhere." Enhance clucked his tongue in annoyance. He would have prefered the enemy to just come at them from the front instead of having to do all this sneaking around. Most likely they were waiting to ambush them somewhere from around a corner or inside a room.

Shirou heard a noise from behind one of the counters of a nearby restaurant. "Who's there!" He shouted and started to move cautiously towards the direction of the noise. The others stayed out of sight and waited cautiously. It was a good desicion. If something went wrong then Rider, Enhance, and Merem would easily be able to ambush them.

Three men popped up from behind the counter wearing the standard issue uniform for soldiers in the British military. All three of them pointed automatic rifles at Shirou. "Don't move!" The man in the middle shouted.

Enhance was the first to move. He stepped out from behind a corner like it was the most perfectly natural thing to do and didn't even look like he aimed his gun to fire the three shots. The soldiers didn't even have time to look surprised before the bullets passed through their helmets and into their brains. They dropped to the floor with a soft noise.

"What the hell are you doing Enhance!" Shirou shouted at him. "We're here trying to warn the military, not kill them!" He growled. Shirou didn't plan on fighting them, he wanted to talk to the soldiers and clear up this misunderstanding they were having. Enhance most likely just messed that chance up for them.

"Hey idiot, look closer. Those soldiers were dead before I shot them." Enhance crossed his arms.

Shirou sighed and stepped forward across the room that now smelled of smoke and gunpowder. They behaved like perfectly normal soldiers so Shirou couldn't think of anything he could have missed. He peeked over the counter and looked at the bodies of the men.

"What the hell?" Shirou exclaimed loudly as he saw the bodies. The soldiers' helmets had been blown off by Enhance's weapon and their faces were now exposed. You couldn't tell under the soldiers' armor, but Shirou could now see that their flesh was dry and desocated. These men had been in fact dead for what looked like several days.

"Shirou? What do you see?" Rider asked curiously while stepping forward to get a glympse for herself.

Shirou uttered a sigh. "Shisha." He growled angrily and kicked the counter with frustration leaving a large hole. "The Dark Six is around here somewhere. He must have gotten here before us." Shirou grit his teeth. These people couldn't be saved anymore.

Merem slumped his shoulders and entered the room. Being too short to see over the counter, he hopped on top of it and sat on the edge and leaned over. "I think it's now impossible to warn the British Army. As things are now, I think it's safe to say that it's now in the direct control of The Dark Six."


	41. The Dark Six

ACT XLI - The Dark Six

The sound of combat echoed through the airport. Metal clashed on metal. Guns fired. Soon the hallways were filled with smoke and blood as Shirou and the others began to fight their way through the crowded halls of the London International Airport. It was soon after the discovery that the gunmen near the area where they entered that other men began to pour in. Armed with automatic weapons they began firing upon the group. However they were quickly cut down by Shirou and the others and no one was hurt.

Now they were running for the control center. Shirou figured that's where The Dark Six would most likely be hiding. He clutched Kanshou and Bakuya's cold metal in his hands and ran. Enhance ran directly behind him, firing his pistol with surprising accuracy and clearing the way in an instant.

"Go! I've got these guys." Enhance drew his sword and twirled it deftly in his hands before swinging it horizontally and decapitating three enemy soldiers.

Shirou was about to run ahead when his path was suddenly blocked by three people. Shirou jumped back just in time to avoid the sword coming down to cut him in two.

"Greetings, Counter Guardian." A man's voice greeted him with what sounded like happiness and three familar figures came into view.

"Ortenrosse..." Shirou growled. He was greatly surprised that he had lasted even this long with the wound from Gae Bolg still prevalant on his chest. The wound was wrapped, but it still seemed to be bleeding. Which was expected because a wound inflicted with that legendary spear can never be healed. The only reason that Trhvmn was still alive was because of his extraordinary regenative capabilities surpassing that of even the other Dead Apostle Ancestors.

"Enough of this silly grudge of yours Trhvmn. I'm going to kill him now." One of the woman said and drew two sinister looking daggers from behind her back. She kicked off of the ground and hurled herself towards Shirou at a blinding speed. The look she had in her eye lusted for blood and nothing else.

"Shirou!" Rider called out to him and rushed to Shirou's aid just as fast. She threw one of her daggers at the charging woman and the chain wrapped around her neck. Rider pulled her safely passed Shirou and pinned her to the ground. "Move and I'll cut your throat." She snarled.

Enhance fired his weapon at Trhvmn and the other woman who dodged them with lazy movements of her upper body. Trhvmn raised his sword and cut one of Enhance's bullets in two and jumped to the side of the second one.

In the confusion Shirou aimed a slash at Trhvmn, but he was kicked in the chest by the woman standing behind him. The kick felt like he had been hit by a cannonball. Shirou coughed and was flung backwards near Merem.

"Watch who you're trying to cut there asshole." She spat rudely. "I don't neccesarily care about him, but he owes me a drink." She said as if that was reason enough.

"Shirou, get up and run ahead. Enhance and I will take care of this." Merem said as he eyed the other woman.

Enhance raise his hand and gave Shirou a thumbs up. "Don't worry about us, just get the hell out of here." He said with a smile. The two of them charged.

"I'll take the idiot woman, her lack of manners is beginning to annoy me." Merem turned to Enhance.

"Suits me. That other geezer has had it coming for quite awhile anyway." Enhance raised his sword.

Trhvmn clucked his tongue in annoyance as he was forced to block Enhance's incoming strike. Watching as Shirou ran passed him.

"Hey, I don't like being ignored!" Enhance aimed a kick at Trhvmn's stomach and knocked him back a couple of feet.

Meanwhile Merem was battling the other woman, Sumire while Rider kept Rita busy.

It was difficult for even Merem to follow Sumire's movements as they were lazy and unpredictably. He jumped up to her level to punch her only to have her fall over lazily, push herself up with her arms and kick him full force into the cieling. Merem crashed into it and left a crack in the cieling before falling back to the ground.

Sumire spat. "Ha! And here I thought you'd be a challenge." She scoffed as she watched Merem get back on his feet. "Maybe the old age is finally getting to you." She said chuckling slightly.

Merem sighed. "You really are an idiot."

Sumire grit her teeth in anger. "The hell did you just call me you little shit?"

Merem smirked, realized that he could at least get some enjoyment out of her by making her as mad as possible. "I-D-I-O-T"

Sumire charged at him in a rage. "I'm gonna fuck you up you little bastard!"

Merem took on a defensive stance as she charged him. "Quite the mouth you have on you." He mocked her further. Sumire aimed a low punch. However having experienced more battles and having faster reflexes Merem easily dodged around her fist, grabbed Sumire's arm and flung her through the nearest window which shattered loudly.

"Oh no. You're not getting off that easy, I'm not going to be finished with you until you learn to respect your elders." Merem's eyebrows furrowed and he jumped through the window after her.

Meanwhile still inside the hallway Trhvmn and Enhance were clashing blades. The narrow hallway was tough for mobility but Enhance had a pistol as well as his sword, even though for now he was keeping the Holy Scripture hidden behind his back.

"I hate to be the one to kill you, but it seems that things fell into place this way." Trhvmn said after casually blocking a blow from Enhance.

"Oh? Why do you say that? You've had this coming for quite some time." Enhance asked curiously after twisting his body and slashing at Trhvmn again.

"There was someone else who had some kind of grudge against you." Trhvmn raised his arm and blocked the blow without much effort. He was barely even looking at Enhance and Enhance himself was starting to get a little bit frustrated. After trading several blows he still had not left even a scratch.

"You'll have to be more specific than that. I've pissed a lot of people off over the years." Enhance grinned and aimed to thrust his sword through Trhvmn's stomach.

Trhvmn raised his unarmed hand which he had projected an armored gauntlet onto and grabbed the blade of Enhance's demonic sword. "It looks like Altrouge's servant isn't going to get his chance. You're finished here." Trhvmn thrust his blade into Enhance's body. The fight wasn't long, and neither fighter was taking the fight seriously. Trhvmn didn't even look at Enhance when he thrust the sword. Enhance was merely trash that needed to be taken care of.

"Hey, you know you should look at the person you're trying to kill." Enhance's voice came through gritted teeth. He was clearly in pain as the the blood poured from his shoulder. At the last second he altered the area where the sword would pierce by hitting it with the barrel of his pistol. It was impossible for him to avoid being stabbed, but he could at least control where he would be stabbed and avoid vital areas.

Trhvmn sighed. "It seems I can't be careless with you." He pulled the blade from Enhance's body and Enhance jumped back out of his range.

"You should have known that from the start. Next time remind me to cause twice the amount of trouble I have been." Enhance's lips curled into a smirk.

()()()

Shirou ran through the hallways. Going through whatever doors looked important because he had no idea where the control room would be. The halls were empty. Shirou thought they should be filled with people. The Dark Six must have turned them and sent them elsewhere, probably to fight the Magi that were distracting the Legion of Blood for Shirou and the others.

He had to hurry. If he didn't defeat The Dark Six soon, he might alert his army to come back here and kill them. As strong as Shirou was, he wasn't sure if he could take down an army by himself. He hoped that Enhance and Merem's fights were going well. If either of them lost then it might very well be the end of all of them as well. Shirou was counting on everyone having his back, that's why he was now running alone.

It was up to him, to face off with The Dark Six one on one. If Shirou failed, the world would die. The very Earth itself put it's trust into Shirou by giving him this power. This is what he lived for, if Shirou did this he would not only save London, but the entire world. Shirou realized he'd been wrong this whole time. The Holy Grail did not grant his wish, however it did give him the means to fullfill that wish himself.

Shirou saw a line of power cables on the cieling that led into a side corridor. There were quite a few of them so wherever they led must consume quite a bit of power. Shirou turned down the corridor and followed the cables cased in pipes on the cieling.

The smell of blood and death filled the halls, it was a smell Shirou was accustomed to. As far back as he could remember the stench of death had been on his mind. However it was different now, now he had the power to save as many people as he could. Those soldiers back there could not be saved as Enhance had pointed out. The only thing Shirou could do for them was give them a quick and painless death.

Shirou turned a corner that led up a narrow flight of stairs. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his heart started to pound. Something was telling him he was getting closer. Reaching the top of the stairs there was a single door with a sign on it. The sign read "Authorized Personel Only".

He took a deep breath and slowly reached out his hand, grasping the brass handle and turning it. He opened the door quickly and what awaited him on the other side took made him grit his teeth in anger as well as feel a large amount of sorrow.

The room was filled with all kinds of electronics which Shirou couldn't even begin to describe. What looked like a radio transmitter sat on every desk that was filled with all manner of buttons and meters and switches. None of these work stations were currently online and all of them were covered in blood. Whoever the people in this room were, Shirou couldn't even make out their features anymore or even what part belonged to who. They had been torn limb from limb in the most brutal way possible and their blood had splattered on every part of the room including the cieling where it occasionally dripped off of.

At the back of the room was a large window where Shirou could see the runway he and the others came in on. In the very center of the room a chair had been moved, and in the chair sat a very relaxed looking man with his legs crossed. Blood dripped from the tips of his fingers as they hung over the armrests of the black leather chair. The Dark Six raised his head, looked at Shirou and glared with his eyes the dark color of blood. He must not have been expecting Shirou so soon.

"Greetings, Counter Guardian." He said simply, it was a fake greeting, with fake welcome. His voice was laced with venom and his eyes held no wish to show the person in front of him any hospitality.

"These people... did you do this?" Shirou asked. He fought off the nausia that was starting to assail him. Over the years he'd gotten used to seeing death and carnage much like this. But he had to admit this was one of the worst he'd seen.

The Dark Six heaved a sigh and frowned. "Yes I did. I would have rather turned them to my cause but you and your friends have been causing me quite a bit of stress. I had to relieve it somehow."

Shirou clenched his fists and grit his teeth. "You slaughtered them because you were angry!" These people could have had families, lovers, friends. This man took all that away in the blink of an eye. These people would never go home to their wives and kids anymore, they wouldn't smile anymore.

The Dark Six chuckled. "This bothers you doesn't it? Would you like to hear what plans I had for them before I tore them limb from limb? Would you like me to give you the same rage that I have felt for more than two of your lifetimes?" He stood up from his chair and looked directly into Shirou's eyes. "Hm, it seems that my eyes really don't have any effect on you." He said as if was confirming it.

"Why do you fight, Counter Guardian? You must have your reasons." The Dark Six asked curiously.

"I fight to bring smiles to people's faces, to prevent things like this from happening!" Shirou pointed angrily at the carnage around them.

The Dark Six laughed. "You sound like some kind of Super Hero." He returned to his chair, his face taking on a more serious expression. Clearly he didn't feel very threatened by Shirou if he could calmly sit in a chair while they talked. "You and I aren't so different."

"I don't have anything in common with a monster like you!" Shirou shouted.

"Not true. You fight for your people, to give them a better world. A world in which they can be happy. I am the same. I fight and kill these humans in order to create a world where us Dead Apostles can roam freely without the need for all this sneaking around and hiding." The Dark Six explained.

"Don't claim your actions up to now are for some noble cause. You and your followers enjoy killing people. I saw what you and your people did at Aylesbury, and here. I saw what Ortenrosse did to Aiah! He was smiling when he tore the heart from her chest!" Shirou shouted angrily. He couldn't stand the fact that he claimed that Aiah had died for something like that. There wasn't anything noble in this man's actions, he wanted to hunt humans to near extinction and enslave what was left. It was as simple as that.

"I have to admit you're right. I do enjoy killing humans. Most of us don't see humans as any more than cattle. Only to be used for food and pleasure. But you humans see us as monsters to be killed and erradicated. I don't see this as the way things should be, that's why I have no intention of hiding my actions. Humans dominate most of the Earth, the livestock has grown too much in population." The Dark Six explained as he once again stood up from his chair.

Shirou felt The Dark Six's killing intent rise dramatically and he lowered his stance and traced Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands.

The Dark Six glared angrily at Shirou. "That is why you and your whole damn species need to learn your place!" With a growl The Dark Six kicked the chair behind him with surprising force where it flew across the room and broke the large bulletproof glass window behind them and shattered it. He bared his teeth in anger at Shirou and charged at him with surprising speed, his hands outstretched to grasp Shirou's throat.


	42. Counter Force Part 1

ACT XLII - Counter Force (Part 1)

The Dark Six glared angrily at Shirou. "That is why you and your whole damn species need to learn your place!" With a growl The Dark Six kicked the chair behind him with surprising force where it flew across the room and broke the large bulletproof glass window behind them and shattered it. He bared his teeth in anger at Shirou and charged at him with surprising speed, his hands outstretched to grasp Shirou's throat.

Shirou felt the cold, dry fingers close around his throat and he found himself flat on his back with The Dark Six baring his teeth angrily at him. Shirou felt his windpipe being crushed and his air supply cut off. Acting quickly he raised Bakuya and aimed to slash at Six's neck.

Six released his grip and quickly jumped back from Shirou to avoid being decapitated. "Hm. Keeps his composure even when being choked huh?" He mumbled to himself. "This should be interesting." He smirked. This one Counter Guardian stood between him and his plans. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, he was starting to get excited as this young man charged at him brandishing the pair of swords. It had been a long time since he'd had a decent fight.

Shirou raised his swords and aimed a cross slash across at Six's chest. With perfect accuracy and timing, Six grabbed onto his wrists before the blades connected and kicked Shirou in the chest. Shirou yelped in pain and was pushed back a few meters, colliding with the door he entered the room through. He could even feel the door give way a little as he slammed into it.

Before Shirou even had time to recover The Dark Six rushed forward with amazing speed, faster even that Shirou could react to. He extended his fingers and targeted Shirou's injured arm. The Dark Six then jammed his fingers into Shirou's shoulder. At first Shirou felt only the pain of his fingers digging into his injury then he felt something tear through his flesh and even penetrate the door behind him.

"Hm, too slow." The Dark Six muttered as he watched Shirou cry out in pain.

Shirou slashed at him with his right arm, making The Dark Six jump back across the room to avoid the blow with a smirk on his face. Shirou noticed that blood covered the hand that he had just been hit with. Blood that was his own, the tips of his fingers looked like they had been sliced open and were now bleeding. He did not have those wounds when Shirou entered the room, nor did he remember seeing him inflict those wounds since they started fighting.

Was this one of the abilities The Dark Six posesses? Shirou couldn't quite put his finger on it. He didn't appear to have any weapons that Shirou could see, that left only one thing he could think of at the moment. The Dark Six was a Magus and cut his fingers, using his own blood as a catalyst for some spell. He might as well try and test this theory.

Shirou bit back the pain in his left arm, not even bothering to look at what kind of wound he just recieved. It didn't matter what it was, he still had feeling in it and he could still move it even if it did take a bit of effort. He wasn't about to lose just because he could feel blood dripping out of what felt like holes in his shoulder. It seemed like his left arm was taking all kinds of punishment, his left arm was the same one he got shot in earlier while on the runway.

After quickly jumping to his feet Shirou lowered his stance and crossed his arms, flinging Kanshou and Bakuya at The Dark Six in a cross motion like boomerangs. "_Spirit and technique, flawless and firm!_" He began a chant, allowing him to use Kanshou and Bakyua to their full extent.

Kanshou and Bakuya were beautiful swords by themselves, however they were still powerful Noble Phantasms and as such they had hidden abilities. In Kanshou and Bakuya's case, it's abilty was activated by reading the inscriptions on imprinted onto the blades themselves. These inscriptions had powerful meaning to the original owner and thus activated the power in the blades.

The Dark Six moved his body to dodge the blades thrown at his torso to cut him in half, but as he did so he turned his attention back to Shirou, who had already crossed half the distance between them. He then noticed that Shirou was unarmed. "You've got guts, coming at me unarmed!" Six spun and aimed a roundhouse kick at Shirou's head.

Shirou ducked under Six's leg and projected a second copy of Kanshou and Bakuya. "_Our strength rips the mountains!_" Shirou slashed The Dark Six acrossed the chest, he had no shirt under his long cloak so Shirou could clearly see the deep slash along with the crimson blood that was now flowing out.

The Dark Six didn't even have time to react, rather there was no way that he could. Shirou had somehow gotten faster in an instant. The Dark Six could do nothing as Shirou pivoted around to his back.

"_Our swords split the water!_" Shirou slashed down Six's back, cutting his coat. "_Our names reach the imperial villa!_" Shirou slashed his back a second time.

The Dark Six couldn't see it, but he felt Shirou's swords dig into his sides. He didn't even see him move and Shirou was in front of him again, as if he has just ran through his body like a ghost and cut him. Shirou's back was to him, his speed seemed to return to normal and Six heard him finish his incantation.

"_The two of us cannot hold heavens together!_" Shirou dropped the Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands and they shattered from use before even hitting the ground. Normally, that technique would have used up almost all of Shirou's magical energy. However since he became a Counter Guardian, something like that barely made him break a sweat. It was because of his he could fight The Dark Six and the other Dead Apostle Ancestors on equal ground.

"What the hell...?" The Dark Six muttered and sunk to the ground. He fell to his knees and blood began to drip from his wounds onto the floor. The wet sound filled the room as silence fell between them for a few moments. "You're certainly something, Counter Guardian." Six said with a chuckle

Shirou didn't say anything. There was no possible way he was finished with just that attack. Ortenrosse survived Gae Bolg through the heart, there was no way The Dark Six shouldn't be able to heal something like that. Shirou was waiting for the counter attack, so he kept his distance.

"What were those swords? Conceptual weapons? No. You used projection magecraft." The Dark Six mumbled as he tried to figure it out. He started laughing with renewed energy. The blood that had begun to pool around his body began to recede back into his body as if time was turning backwards.

The Dark Six raised his bloody hand that he had cut himself previously, fingers outstretched so Shirou could still see the blood flowing from the wounds on it. The blood stopped dripping within a few moments and long thin objects hurtled themselves towards Shirou extending from Six's fingertips.

Shirou jumped to the side to dodge them, and they pierced through the door behind him. Shirou looked up to see long spears of crimson leading from the holes in the door back to The Dark Six's fingers. "Using your own blood as a weapon?" Shirou asked.

The Dark Six smirked. "More or less. Iron is quite usefull, don't you think? Blood is full of it."

"Shit!" Shirou took a quick look around the room. The people the Six had killed before Shirou got there... their blood had been splattered everywhere. On the walls, the floor, and the cieling. If The Dark Six had control over the iron in blood, then this room was one big trap he had laid out. The blood on the cieling and the walls began to move on it's own, gathering in a single spot on each the cieling and walls before a spear of blood extended from each spot hurling themselves towards Shirou. Rolling forward he just narrowly avoided the bloodspears, he quickly jumped up but The Dark Six met him and kicked him backwards.

Shirou lost his footing and staggered backwards, tripping over something big on the floor and falling onto his back with a loud thud. The Dark Six wasted no time and fired spears of blood from the cieling and the walls to where Shirou had tripped.

"Dammit!" Shirou had to quickly roll to the side on the floor as one of the spears impacted where he had just been leaving a hole that looked very similar to a bullet impact in the floor. Shirou had to keep rolling to avoid the successive spear attacks coming for his head and vital areas if he made a single wrong move or his timing was off, he'd be killed. Three. Four. Five times Shirou had to roll to avoid the spears of blood coming for him. On the sixth attack he sprang to his feet and rushed at The Dark Six, raising a freshly projected longsword over his head to decapitate him.

"You'll have to do better than that." Once again The Dark Six raised his bleeding hand and long blades made of his own blood extended at the charging Shirou.

Shirou felt the sharp blades penetrate his flesh at his collarbone, chest, and stomach. Shirou yelped in pain and grit his teeth, a small amount of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

The Dark Six lifted Shirou up into the air, the spears of blood from his fingers didn't waver at all but remained stiff as if they were really made of metal. He watched Shirou struggle and writhe in pain with a disappointed look on his face. "I expected more, Counter Guardian." He said with a frown.

"Gah! Ah!" Shirou cried out as he was lifted into the air and slid a few inches down the shafts of blood. His sword dropped from his hand where it shattered on the floor as he raised his hand to grab the blade and try to find some way out of this situation. Luckily the spear through his chest seemed to have missed his heart, however blood dripped steadily onto his armor nonetheless staining the beautiful white cloth with crimson red.

The Dark Six brought Shirou towards the broken window and dangled him over the edge. He watched as Shirou looked down and it was then The Dark Six withdrew the blood blades from Shirou and let him fall over the edge towards the runway.

()()()

Meanwhile back in the main halls of the London International Airport, Rider and Rita were having a battle of their own. After Shirou had advanced, leaving the three of them to battle the remaining Dead Apostle Ancestors. Merem had followed Sumire outside after tossing her through a window that led out to the front of the airport, while Trhvmn retreated from the persuing Enhance further into the airport.

The daggers of the two women clashed, sending sparks flying about the hallway. They were surprisingly evenly matched in both speed and agility, it was a marvel to watch as it looked like both were performing a deadly dance. Their hair flowed around them like ribbons as they spun and dodged each other's weapons and attacks.

Rider threw her dagger attatched to her chain at Rita. Rita sidestepped the dagger and grabbed the chain, tugging Rider towards her. Rider raised her other dagger and aimed to stab Rita in the chest, Rita blocked the dagger and kicked Rider in the ribs. Rider grit her teeth in pain and was flung through a thin wall into what looked like the food court of the airport.

Rita followed Rider into a large area where many round tables with chairs around them were set up all over the place. Upon being thrown into the room Rider had run into a table and caused it to be thrown backwards along with the chairs around it. Rita walked in casually, kicking the chairs and tables out of her way as she approached Rider who prepared to attack.

"Hm, you're not human. I'm positive of that." Rita mumbled as she kicked a chair at Rider who cut the chair in two with her dagger and rushed between the pieces at Rita.

Rider aimed one of her daggers straight for Rita's forehead. She twisted her body and deflected the dagger with one of her own, the only thing Rider was able to do was draw a little blood when the tip of the dagger zinged by her forehead. Rider raised her second dagger and Rita did so as well, blocking it easily.

Rider grit her teeth and put some strength into her arms, pushing Rita back and tried to attempt to get her to the floor where she could be easily dispatched. Rita bared her fangs and pushed back against Rider, the two matched strength for awhile before Rita stuck one of her feet behind Rider's and threw off her sense of balance.

Rider tripped backwards and hit her back on one of the counters belonging to one of the food stalls. She flipped over the counter to avoid Rita's follow up attack which jammed one of her daggers into the counter where it stuck.

"Gah! Dammit, come out!" Rita growled as she tugged on the knife in the counter. Rider found some cutlery in the back as Rita struggled with her blade, she grabbed a pair of meat cleavers and flung them. Rita dodged the first blade which left only a shallow cut on her cheek which trickled a small amount of blood. The second forced her to duck under the counter after she finally managed to pull her dagger out of the counter.

Not even a second passed before Rider lept over the counter and threw her daggers at Rita one after the other. Rita deflected the first, but the second whizzed passed her head and the chain wrapped itself around tightly around her neck.

"Got you." Rider's lips curled into a grin and she tugged onto the chain, tightening it around Rita's neck.

The bones in Rita's neck began to crack audibly and her face began to turn white as Rider crushed her windpipe. She reached out and grabbed the cold steel of the chain before she was killed and tried to pull Rider towards her.

"It's over." Rider pulled with all her strength sending Rita rocketing towards her. The strike was quick. Rita barely had time to react before she felt the cold steel penetrate through her chest and strike her heart. Her body lost all of it's strength and she fell towards her enemy who surprisingly did not let her fall, but caught her in her arms.

The chain around her throat was loose now she had enough energy to ask one final question before she died. "What is your name? You are not human, a Dead Apostle, nor even a Counter Guardian."

"My name is Medusa." Rider said smoothly. She was surprised that the woman in her arms made no attempt to attack and take Rider to the afterlife with her.

"Medusa!" Rita exclaimed with great surprise. "That's impossible..." She coughed and felt blood come up her throat and trickle out of her mouth.

Rider said nothing, but knelt down to lay Rita on the floor.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter now." Rita chuckled softly. "If you are really Medusa then that means that this..." She reached for Rider's Noble Phantasm that covered her eyes.

Rider swiftly grabbed Rita's wrist and shook her head. "Your curiosity will do you no good." She said coldly.

"My heart is pierced, I'm not like that idiot Ortenrosse who wants to live so badly. I'm going to die here. Consider it a last request." She said with a forced smile.

Rider let go of her wrist without saying anything. Her request seemed innocent enough, so she allowed Rita to remove the covering from her eyes. Rita then went stiff as if all the muscles in her body had frozen solid. Rider could practically hear her heart beat slowly a few times and then stop. She took Breaker Gorgon from Rita's hand and placed the Noble Phantasm back on her face. When she stood up, a shock ran through her body, a shock that seemed to come from a long distance away. It was the same phenomonon that warned a Servant when it's Master was in danger.

"Sakura!" She exclaimed and began to rush back to aid Sakura with whatever trouble she was now in. Was the battle with the Legion of Blood going badly? Rider had to find out, she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to Sakura. Shirou should be able to handle The Dark Six, and Shirou would also want Sakura and the others to be protected. "Yes, that's what he would want." She mumbled to herself and began to run.


	43. Counter Force Part 2

ACT XLIII - Counter Force (Part 2)

Explosions wracked the streets of London, turning them into the very definition of a battlefield. The battle between the Magic Association and the Legion of Blood drew onward. It seemed that more Magi were being lost than Dead Apostles. At the forefront of the battle was Aoko Aozaki and Narbareck watching in horror as many young magi were being killed around them.

Reinforcements for the Legion had arrived not too long ago, men in armor and wielding fully automatic rifles were on the scene. Men that once belonged to the army of England who were sent into London to quell the situation. Unfortunately they had been turned to the enemy's side by the Mystic Eyes of Vampirism posessed by The Dark Six.

Narbareck sent Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura to a street nearby to watch over another group of magi who were under siege by the Legion. They had proved themselves so far, and this could be a long fight therefore she had to begin to think like a General and spread her best men out. Ciel however remained at her side.

"Those soldiers are tearing us apart! The Magi can't handle both gunfire and the attacks of Dead Apostles at once!" Ciel said urgently as she fended of an attack from a vampire who leaped from the top of a nearby building at her. Ciel easily cut it down with her Black Keys which she kept in between her fingers, using them much like claws.

"Not to worry my dear Priest, our trump card is on it's way." Aoko winked, her hands burst into blue flames and she tossed a large ball of azure fire into a group of Dead Apostles where it exploded and caused them to burn alive until they fell to the ground.

"I hope you know what you're doing Aozaki." Narbareck thought she wasn't taking the situation seriously enough. Sure she fought seriously, but she always seem to have a bright smile on her face and an energetic air about her. Narbareck didn't know if Aoko Aozaki fully understood the situation that they were in. Narbareck, Aoko, and Ciel had assigned themselves to cover the rooftops to protect their people in the streets from ambushes. Meanwhile, Narbareck ordered Shiki, Rin, and Sakura to support the ground units. Shiki was down on this side of the street, occasionally Narbareck caught glympses of him out of the corner of her eye. He fought like a monster, anything that came into contact with him seemed to fall to the ground in a bloody mess. Most Dead Apostles that dared get in his way ended up no more than a pile of meat and blood on the ground.

Meanwhile in the next street over Rin and Sakura were helping with the onslaught of Dead Apostles swarming in from that direction. The situation was starting to look dire for them, Rin had used up most of her jewels and Sakura was having to delve deep into her Shadow Magic which was causing her body to become distorted. Her body was being engulfed by the shadow and her hair began to turn bone white. If Sakura used her magic too much she may pass out or worse, she could lose control of her body to the shadow and be unable to discern friend from foe.

"Sakura, step back for awhile. You're aren't looking too good." Rin suggested as she began shooting Gandr curses into the middle of the vampire horde hoping to take at least a few of them down.

"B-But Nee-san I can't just stop fighting!" Sakura looked like she was in pain, trying to hold something back as the shadow reverberated around her body and at the shadow of her feet.

A Dead Apostle leaped passed a couple of young looking Magi directly at Sakura. A wall of shadow rose up from the ground and automatically blocked the vampire's charge, the vampire fell to the ground on top of the shadow where upon many black tentacles rose from the blackness and tore the Dead Apostle into pieces before absorbing it into the ground.

Sakura was being overloaded. She could tell Rider was fighting or had just finished fighting as well, Rider was now moving very fast towards something. Sakura hoped that Shirou was doing alright, that Rider and everyone else would protect him so he could come back home after this was all over. They hadn't cooked a decent meal together in quite some time, Sakura badly wanted to cook with Shirou again. That's why she wouldn't quit fighting. "Senpai wouldn't stop!" She grit her teeth and summoned her combat familiars and sent them into the battle.

Rin sighed. She couldn't get through to Sakura now. "Aoko Aozaki... whetever you have planned, do it quick." She contemplated grabbing Sakura and running away, but their battle was too important. Narbareck trusted them to do this on their own, yet watching these magi die right in front of them was not their idea of doing their job. There were simply too many of the Dead Apostles and they did not have enough support.

Rin cursed her forgetfullness at times like these. "Ahh! How in the hell could I forget my Kaleidostick in Fuyuki!" She recalled when she had tested it in Shirou's living room, then Arcueid showed up and set everything in motion rather quickly and Rin forgot the Kaleidostick on Shirou's dinner table.

At that moment she heard what sounded like a helicopter. She looked up and that indeed was what she saw, a helicopter that had it's emergency rope ladder dangling from it, on the rope ladder was a man. He was very young looking and was dressed all in red and included a red top hat. The man himself was blonde and had a long nose. "Who the hell is that?" Rin asked nobody in particular.

The man hanging onto the helicopter's rope ladder hummed a tune to himself as he flew over the battlefield. "Put me down over there, next to the woman with the red hair." He called up at his pilot who nodded and started to descend. The man jumped from the helicopter and landed next to Aoko.

"Making an entrance as always I see, Alba." She greeted him with a smile.

"But of course." The man called Alba tipped his hat and bowed. "You seem to have a bit of an infestation, shall I help you get rid of it?" He asked with a toothy grin.

Aoko nodded. "Please do, this is more than we can handle even with me here. There's just too many of them."

Alba's sight turned to Narbareck and Ciel who stood with an expression of shock at the person before them. He didn't seem to take anything seriously and his entrance was showboating of the worst kind. It was plain to see why he'd be an aquiantence of Aoko's.

"I don't believe I know you two. Judging by your attire I'm guessing... Burial Agency?" Alba asked.

Narbareck cleared her throat. "Yes, I am the current head of the Agency and this is one of my subordinates." She said introducing herself and Ciel without giving the man too much information. She didn't fully trust the Magi Association so there was no need to give him names.

Alba bowed politely. "Cornelius Alba, at your service." He raised his head and looked curiously at the two of them. "I'm uncertain what you two could possibly be doing here, but I've no time to interrogate you as the situation down below looks rather dire." He turned his attention back to Aoko, "Shall we wrap things up here then Miss Blue? I cannot kill all of them at once, but I can cut their numbers down significantly."

"Are you sure that you can do something like that?" Narbareck asked seriously.

Alba whirled around, his red coat flowing around him as he turned towards Narbareck. "But of course, not even Dead Apostles can survive 1,000 degrees Celsius worth of heat." He then turned his attention back to the army in front of him.

"EVERYONE RETREAT NOW!" Aoko shouted at the top of her lungs. Most of the men in the street seemed to have heard her and the ones who didn't were being told by nearby magi. Soon everyone in the street was running down the street as fast as they could.

Alba's stance lowered and he closed his eyes. His hands turned red and then burst into flames. He began chanting as fast as he could, the air heated up as he began a great spell.

_Begone, shadows!_

_Thou of the unseeable_

_Fade back into oblivion, if of darkness_

_Be returned to the immaterial_

_Ask not me, my answer is clear_

_In my hand is light! Know that all is in this hand_

_I am the truth of creation,_

_In face of all things, thy defeat is certain!_

The air in the street exploded and a great sea of flames errupted, the screaming of the Dead Apostles could be heard amidst the chaos as a large area was burning with heat intense enough to melt skin and bone alike. Like Alba said, it didn't incinerate all of the Dead Apostles but at least 1/4th of their forces were now set ablaze, Alba even made sure to get the former members of the English Army caught in his Sea of Flames.

Sakura recoiled in fear as most of the street next to her had been incinerated, their fight was not over. Many Dead Apostles rushed in, some of them were still on fire, their skin melting like wax as they ran. The others completely ignored them and kept up their assault, it wasn't long before the Magi forces were overwhelmed and retreating from the vampires. Sakura's vision wavered, she had gone too far into the shadow and it was making her lose conciousness the last thing she saw was a horde of vampires rushing towards them and she felt herself fall into her sister's arms.

"Sakura!" Rin shouted. She picked Sakura up and began to retreat back to the other street following the rest of the magi. She dared not look behind her she knew the vampires would catch up to her eventually if something didn't happen quick.

"Rin! Move aside, now!" A voice called urgently.

Rin didn't have time to ask questions, she cradled Sakura's head so it wouldn't bob around too much and she began strengthening the muscles and bones in her legs with magical energy. With a new burst of speed she jumped in between a couple of office buildings before her vision was filled with a bright, white light.

_"BELLEROPHON!"_ The persuing Dead Apostles were burnt away in an instant, Rin covered her sister's head to protect her from the shockwave and the cloud of dust that was picked up by the blinding light. The street was very narrow, so it was easy for Rider to kill all those in her path that weren't smart enough to duck into the buildings.

"Rider?" Rin looked up in surprise as the shadowy figure stepped towards her from the decimated street.

"Sakura!" Rider called out to her and ran towards Rin.

"She's alright I think, I told her to stop fighting and cool down but of course she started thinking about Shirou and refused." Rin said with a frown.

Rider smiled faintly and chuckled. "That certainly does sound like her. More importantly, let's get her out of here." She sighed. "Thank goodness, it wasn't as bad as I thought." She mumbled to herself and Rin led her back to the other end of the street where the rest of the magi were retreating from more explosions and blasts of blue magical energy coming from the rooftops.

"It seems like they're doing well without us." Rin grumbled angrily as she looked up at the two people standing on top of the roof casting extremely high level magecraft like it was nothing.

Sakura stirred in Rin's arms and then opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Rider, running behind Rin. "Eh? Rider?" She said weakly.

"Yes, I'm here Sakura. I sensed your condition and rushed back as fast as I could." Rider answered her with a smile.

"Senpai... help Senpai." Sakura begged, her eyelids drooped as if she were about to doze off again.

"Calm down Sakura, I'm sure Shirou is fine." Rin patted her head in comfort. "Otherwise Rider wouldn't be here, isn't that right Rider?" Rin turned to her.

Rider nodded. "Yes, I've done all I can do the rest is up to him now."

Rin smiled. "Alright, then let's go find somewhere we can let Sakura rest for now. Aoko and the other Magi should be able to handle the Legion from here." She looked back at the burning street for a moment. It seemed like things were starting to quiet down. The timely arrival of that magi in the hellicopter had swiftly turned the tide in the favor of the Association, as of right now it looked like Aoko, Ciel, Narbareck, and Shiki were just mopping up stragglers. Rider's arrival was certainly timely as well, luckily the street was narrow so she was able to completely obliterate most of the vampires that had been attacking him.

"It's almost too good to be true..." Rin mumbled to herself.

()()()

Shirou saw the ground rush towards him as he fell from the window. Pain ran through his entire body as his body struck the hard ground below. It was about a two story fall but miraculously no bones appeared to be broken. If he were a normal human then he would have certainly broken his back.

His vision briefly flashed white. Shirou tried to get up but found that he couldn't move. He stared up at the night sky which was now covered with clouds and he felt a single drop of rain hit him in the face. The Dark Six looked down at him for a moment before jumping down to the ground.

"That looked like it hurt." He grinned.

Shirou tried flexing his fist but his fingers merely twitched. He grit his teeth before the combat boot Six wore connected with his head and flung him across the ground. Six walk forward and the next kick went into Shirou's ribs.

Shirou coughed up blood and was thrown further down the pavement, The Dark Six walking casually after him.

Shirou's hand instinctively moved to grasp his wounded ribs, it was then he realized that he could move again. He flexed his fist to make sure then stood up shakily.

"I may have overestimated you a little." The Dark Six frowned and crossed his arms. "You were the one that gave Ortenrosse that wound that he can't heal fully so I thought you might be interesting." He sighed.

"That's wrong." Shirou poured magical energy into his muscles and his limbs to give him the ability to stand up straight. His arms and chest were covered with blood, and he raised his head to glare at The Dark Six. About that time it began to rain steadily, the small dropplets of water made a wet sound as they pattered against his clothing.

"Pardon me?" The Dark Six raised an eyebrow.

"I'm saying that you're wrong. I don't think you overestimate me at all, and I was the one that pierced Trhvmn's heart... he's a stubborn bastard." Shirou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The Dari Six raised his arm and beckoned to Shirou. "Come on then. Let me see what you can really do."

Shirou bent his knees. "You're going to regret saying that." He kicked off the ground and charged The Dark Six head on.

_"Trace, on! Begin projection!"_ Shirou activated his Magic Circuits and continued running, closing the ten yards or so between him and The Dark Six. Ahead of him he saw Six take a defensive stance that looked like Kung-Fu.

_"Ending resonance of possession experience."_ The Dark Six merely waited for him, waiting to see what he planned to do. Many half projected swords, axes, halberds, spears, and other weapons began to appear and float above Shirou's head.

_"Roll out! Bullet clear!"_ The weapons took solid shapes. The Dark Six's eyes grew wide in surprise but his stance did not waver. _"Processes completed. All projections stand by."_

_"All projections successive fire! Sword Barrel, full open!"_ The weapons began to shoot forth one after another with the speed of an automatic weapon.

One of the swords impaled right through the middle of The Dark Six's hand. He grunted in pain and then pulled out the sword, blood sprayed from his hand and onto the ground.

Shirou projected a sword in his hands and charged at Six as he was busy dodging the swords. He took the sword in both hands and brought his hands back. The Dark Six used the blood flowing from his hand to create his own sword.

Their weapons clashed sending sparks flying between them. The Dark Six glared at Shirou from over his sword the two jumped apart from each other. The Dark Six fended off several weapons fired at him from Shirou with his sword but was pierced in his right leg. He pulled it out in an instant and used the blood from the wound to weave another sword in his free hand.

The Dark Six had a large smile on his face. "Yes, that's what I'm talking about!" He said with sincere happiness as he repelled the blades with his swords, the deflected weapons shattering upon meeting his blades. "Come at me, Counter Guardian!" He squeezed his blades harder and let Shirou charge him again.

Shirou's feet pounded along the ground. He threw away the shabby, nameless sword he'd projected and began to forge a new one. The Dark Six wanted everything he had, he wanted Shirou to fight him with his strongest abilities. All Shirou had to do was prepare that and hope The Dark Six was defeated.

Shirou's hand began to glow as the golden sword appeared in his hand. The ornate, blue hilt. The jeweled guard. The inscribed fairy runes on the flat of the blade. It was a fine sword, the symbol of the King of Britain. It's name was Caliburn, The Golden Sword of Owed Victory.

He hefted the golden sword over his head as he neared The Dark Six. Six raised is weapons and crossed them in front of himself as Shirou brought Caliburn down on him.

A large flash of golden light filled their eyes as Caliburn connected with Six's swords. It blinded the both of them for a split second, as the light died down Shirou saw that Caliburn had broken Six's swords.

The Dark Six jumped backwards to regroup. He was running low on blood so he couldn't afford to make anything else as extensive as a sword. His abilities relied on him being able to gorge himself on blood and use it as a weapon., however so far he's made two swords and multiple spears. The extending spears would be better because he could retract them into his body, but he would still lose the blood if Shirou broke them.

"Like hell I'd let you!" Shirou ran after The Dark Six as he retreated, raised Caliburn over his head and prepared to bring it down and cleave Six in half.

The Dark Six raised his arm and Caliburn passed right through it like it was butter, he cried out in pain and his body was drenched in his own blood from the wound. His severed arm fell to the ground with a sickly noise.

Shirou raised Caliburn once more and removed The Dark Six's left leg when he tried to retreat again. Six fell to the ground where a pool of blood began to form around him. Caliburn shattered from use in Shirou's hand and faded away.

"Sloppy Counter Guardian, very sloppy." The Dark Six chuckled with a pained voice. The blood on the ground retracted and made connections to his lost limbs. As if turning back time his limbs were dragged closer to his body by long, thick trails of blood that were as long as his arm and leg.

It only took a few seconds for The Dark Six to repair his limbs and he stood up to give Shirou a smug smile. "If you really wanted to kill me, you should have done it in one shot. You can't kill me by chopping off my limbs."

Then it registered with Shirou, if he wanted to make sure The Dark Six never came back and had a chance to recover his limbs and get up again, then he had to destroy his entire body with one shot. On top of that he had to make sure there was nothing left.

Shirou lowered his head and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Alright, I can do that. _Trace, On!_"


	44. Emiya, Counter Guardian

ACT XLIV - Emiya, Counter Guardian

"What do you expect us to do now? Just sit around and wait?" The angry voice of Tohsaka Rin echoed through a large meeting room back inside The Clock Tower.

The Legion of Blood had been defeated and the majority of the Magi were now just waiting around for news about The Dark Six. Only small pockets of Dead Apostles lay around London so there was a small cleanup crew lead by Cornelius Alba still roaming about the city. Rin carried a passed out Sakura back to the Clock Tower with Rider following close behind. Narbareck, Ciel, Aoko, Shiki, and Rin were now inside one of the many large meeting rooms inside the Clock Tower discussing what was to be done next.

"I'm with her, let's just go and kick that Ancestor's ass." Aoko said with her usual enthusiasm and a bright smile.

"Tohsaka you should know better." Narbareck crossed her arms. "I don't like sitting around either, but it's too dangerous to let any human near The Dark Six." She explained again.

"Maybe now is a good time to explain why I shouldn't take our most powerful Magi and just rush him." Aoko sat back in her chair. "I have no information on The Dark Six other than he's the one responsible for The Legion and the Ancestor's bold moves."

Narbareck nodded to Ciel and told her she should be the one to tell her. "The Dark Six posesses a kind of Mystic Eyes that allow him to transform any human into a Dead Apostle almost instantly." She explained briefly.

"And what are you then?" Aoko turned her gaze towards Rider. "You're not a Dead Apostle, nor do you seem to be human."

Shiki's head perked up at this question because he was quite interested as well.

Rider smiled faintly. "That is quite a long explanation which we do not have time for at the moment. Suffice it to say that you are correct, I am not a Dead Apostle and I am not human."

Aoko shrugged. "Fair enough. Then we just sit around and wait?"

"What about Arcueid and the others? Have we heard anything from them yet?" Shiki asked.

Ciel shook her head. "Nothing. I imagine she's still helping Shirou and the others. You know how she is, she'll show up when we least expect it."

Narbareck turned her head towards the door when she heard a noise outside. The handle turned and the door opened.

"Hi~" As energentic as ever and looking quite beat up Arcueid burst into the room with the grace of a bull in a china shop.

"Arcueid!" Everyone was surprised to see her waltz in like she owned the place.

"Where the hell have you been?" Shiki exclaimed. Arcueid was injured but her serious wounds seem to have already healed which made it alright for Shiki to be mad at her.

"I was having a little chat with my sister." Arcueid said simply after brushing some dust off of her dress and taking a seat in one of the leather chairs around the table.

"Altrouge is here?" Aoko gasped.

Arcueid's eyebrows furrowed. "She'd better not be. I told her I'd kill her if I ever saw her again."

"What about the others? What about Shirou and Saber?" Rin asked urgently.

Arcueid put her finger to her lips and turned her eyes upward in thought. "Our path got blocked by my sister and her last remaining minion. Saber fought Rizo while I fought Altrouge and gave Shirou and the others a chance to make a break for it." She explained.

Rider nodded. "Yes, that's right but how did Saber's fight turn out? I did not see her on my way back here." She asked.

Arcueid shrugged. "Don't know, there was a lot of blood on on the ground but no bodies. On top of that there was only a single trail of blood leading off so I know at least one of them made it."

Rin crossed her arms and heaved a sigh. "Shirou's going to lose it if something happened to Saber."

()()()

Saber ran through the streets. After defeating Rizo she took off towards Shirou and the others. Before they were interrupted Saber remembered them talking about heading towards the area where the English Military had landed in London. That most likely would be the airport. She knew that she had to hurry, every second she lost was a second she could be defending Shirou. Rain pattered down making tiny mettalic noise on her armor.

Thankfully her wounds she sustained from Rizo had started to heal a few minutes ago and she could now run without any problems. By the time she reached the London International Airport her wounds should be almost healed. They still pained her slightly, but pain was easily dealt with. If something happened to Shirou she would never be able to forgive herself. On the off-chance that Shirou failed, she herself may have to destroy The Dark Six.

She gripped her sword tighter and shook her head. "I mustn't think that way." Shirou would surely triumph, however she would like to be there in case something did happen. She could not allow herself to just sit back and do nothing while a battle like that was taking place. Right now she had many questions. Was Shirou safe? Was the battle between the Magi and the Legion of Blood going well? Arcueid had disappeared while she was fighting that girl, did her battle fare well also? Losing any one of these fights could tip the scale in favor of the Dead Apostle Ancestors.

Saber reached the airport and turned off course when she heard the sounds of combat. She was led by the sound to the large parking lot out in the front of the building. It was there she saw someone of small stature fighting the bookish looking Dead Apostle Ancestor she saw at the Aylesbury Ritual. Both of them had sustained minor damage such as many bruises or cuts however they seemed to be evenly matched in hand to hand combat. The movements of the woman were erratic and unpredictable, Saber had never seen a technique like that before. However even in her day there were rumors of people in the East who fought better while intoxicated with alcohol. This certainly seemed similar.

If she was fighting then that must mean the other person was Merem Solomon. It didn't look like Merem was in very much danger at the moment so Saber would not interfere unless it looked like Merem was in a bad situation. Merem's own knowlege of martial arts was impressive as well. He didn't seem to adhere to any style, but rather switched as the situation demanded it. Saber recognized BaJi Quan, Judo, Karate, Kung Fu, and even Boxing all in Merem's style.

Even so it seemed as the Merem was having trouble keeping up with his enemy. Her moves were smooth and fast, but also reckless and sloppy at the same time. Beautiful, yet ugly. Her counters were strange, and her dodges even stranger. It was impossible to predict. Saber had only heard of this Drunken Boxing in stories, she had never had the opprotunity to see it in person.

Saber observed the two with interest. Then she saw that the woman was getting the upper hand. She had ducked below one of Merem's high kicks and punched his chin from below with a tremendous upercut that sent Merem flying upward. She was just about to rush to his aid when she saw Merem right himself in the air and land on his feet and their battle continued.

Saber tore her eyes away from Merem's fight and proceded to avoid them and look for Shirou, setting off in a long path around the airport so as not to be seen.

()()()

"Gah!" Pain assailed Shirou's leg a sword created from The Dark Six's own blood plunged into his flesh. Shirou jumped away from Six. He couldn't allow him to land another hit, he had lost quite a bit of blood from his attacks so far and he was beginning to feel rather weak. The battle was beginning to take it's toll. Shirou would end this now. The Dark Six would be defeated here. Everything up until now had been in preparation for this. This was what he wished for on the Holy Grail itself, why he became a Counter Guardian. He would not fail.

_"I am the bone of my sword."_ The Magic Circuits activated.

"Just give up, Counter Guardian!" The Dark Six stretched out his hand and more spears came for Shirou from the tips of his fingers.

The spears of blood never reached their mark as they were swiftly cut down by Shirou as he stood his ground and projected Caliburn a second time to defend himself. _"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."_

"I've already told you, you can't kill me. Why keep trying?" The Dark Six raised his sword and ran at Shirou. He was charging straight on now, he didn't want Shirou to get that spell off whatever it was. The Dark Six would rather not find out what the Counter Guardian had in store for him, he was having to regenerate quite a bit which took quite the toll on his body.

_"I have created over a thousand blades."_ He raised Caliburn which almost seemed to move on it's own as it defended The Dark Six's strikes with his jagged sword. Flawlessly Shirou's arms moved and deflected each blow perfectly. The Dark Six would not be allowed to lay another scratch on him.

The Dark Six created a second sword from an open wound on his chest. The rain coming down mixed with his blood as he brandished his weapons and charged Shirou again.

Shirou projected another legendary blade, a Holy Sword by the name of Durandal wielded by the paladin Roland. It was a symbol of power much like Caliburn and thus Shirou thought the two went together quite nicely to fend off The Dark Six. _"Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain."_

The Dark Six attacked but his first sword was deflected by Shirou's Caliburn. Shirou ducked under the second and twisted his body, quickly lopping off one of Six's arms. Before the arm even hit the ground, The Dark Six drew the blood back into his body, taking the arm with it and regenerating the tissue around the wound.

_"Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival."_ The firing pin pulled back.

The air heated up around them and a shockwave of energy like a ripple in the air emenated from Shirou. The hair on the back of The Dark Six's neck stood up. He had a bad feeling about that spell that was being casted, he couldn't allow the Counter Guardian to finish. He put his swords together and manipulated the blood to form a long spear, hoping to use it to get passed Shirou's defense.

_"I have no regrets, this is the only path."_ The trigger was pulled. The Dark Six drew close with his spear, his eyes blazing as he thrust it forward. Shirou deflected the point aside and The Dark Six spun the spear around to hit him in the ribs from the side. Shirou raised Durandal and blocked the blow with little effort.

The Dark Six growled and bared his fangs. "It's useless you fool!" Again he attacked Shirou, and again his weapon missed it's mark. He must have found his resolve, his determination was like nothing he'd ever seen before. The Dark Six knew he could do nothing except keep attacking until he found an opening in Shirou's defense.

The Dark Six's attacks became desperate and sloppy. He struck frantically at Shirou's vital areas but Shirou's swords proved to be too much. Shirou now began to counterattack, driving The Dark Six back. Six aimed a powerful thrust directly at Shirou's heart. Shirou swing Caliburn and knocked the tip upwards, knocking The Dark Six off balance. He then kicked The Dark Six in the chest, sending him flying a few feet back.

_"My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works!"_ The hammer came down. An explosion of fire emenated out from Shirou's feet engulfing himself and The Dark Six in it. The landscape changed drastically. The two of them were no longer at the London International Aiport.

"What in the world?" The Dark Six gasped in awe. The rainy night sky had turned to sunset, bathing the area in an orange light. What few clouds there were above the sky were of the purest white. Stretched out before him was a barren wasteland, no plants, no grass, no foliage of any kind. The only thing to distinguish the landscape were many swords dotted about the ground, their blades imbedded in the ground with their hilts straight up. Standing at the very center of this place was Shirou. "What is this?"

"Your end, Dead Apostle." Shirou answered and narrowed his eyes at his enemy before him. "These swords represent all the innocent people you have slaughtered. I'm going to make you remember each and every one before you die."

Shirou raised his arm to the sky. The swords around him did the same, lifting themselves out of the ground and pointing themselves at The Dark Six from all angles. Hundreds of swords soon had their tips pointed at Shirou's enemy.

The Dark Six raised his spear as the swords began to rush towards him. He began to fend them off as best he could, twisting and twirling the spear in front of him in an effort to stop the onslaught. For every sword he deflected Shirou sent two more his way. What was this magic? The Dark Six had never seen anything like it before, he could do nothing now except fight. He was unable to move an inch, or take his eyes off the sword filled sky.

A sword pierced The Dark Six's left arm and went all the way through to the other side, effectively impaling it. He growled in pain and continued to fling away the swords using only his right hand to wield his spear. Another sword pierced his leg. Even though the deflected swords were piling at his feet and shattering into tiny pieces it wasn't enough.

"I will not be denied my goals, Counter Guardian!" The Dark Six stood up and plucked the sword from his leg with a spurt of blood and continued to fight. However he was too weak, he'd lost too much blood that he couldn't regenerate. He needed to end Shirou quickly. Gathering up the last of his strength he rushed at Shirou. Blades pierced his shoulders and his legs before he even got halfway across the barren sword filled wasteland.

The Dark Six's eyes widened as he felt a large sword slip between his ribs and pierce his heart. Coughing up a large amount of blood he dropped to his knees and pulled the sword out. He cried out in agony and dropped his spear on the warm sunlit ground. He looked up and saw the swords had stopped, Shirou had not moved from his spot the entire battle. He knew how this would play out once his spell was cast.

"You're too naive Counter Guardian. Someday it's going to get you killed." The Dark Six coughed. He could barely lift his arms now, meaning he couldn't even take the swords out impaled in him.

Shirou overloaded the many Noble Phantasms impaled in The Dark Six with his magical energy, causing them to explode violently. The Sword in his chest, in his arm, in his leg all exploded with extreme force ensuring that nothing would be left for The Dark Six to regenerate. This was the technique he developed while fighting one of the gigantic demons of Merem Solomon. It was a one shot kill, no living thing could withstand being impaled with many powerful Noble Phantasms and then torn to ribbons and burnt by the following explosions caused by overloading them. This was the Broken Blade Works.

Shirou's Reality Marble faded and returned him to the rainy, dark world and the London International Airport. Before him were the smoldering remains of The Dark Six. Now nothing more than numerous piles of blood and ashes, which was now being washed away by the rain. Shirou approached the remains and looked down at them.

"My name... is Emiya." The Dark Six's life had been ended, and he would take Shirou's name to the afterlife with him. No more would he kill innocent people and turn them into his unwilling slaves. Shirou heaved a sigh, letting the weight of his current mission and the past few days lift off of his shoulders. He turned his weary and injured body to head back towards the Magi Association when he saw several figures walk across the runway towards him from the main building.

"Shirou!" One of them called out to him.

Shirou instantly recognized the voice. "Saber?" He strained his eyes to see Saber rushing towards him.

"Are you hurt?" She asked as she got closer.

"No, not really. Did you just get here?" He asked.

"I arrived just as you used your Reality Marble and disappeared." Saber lowered her head. "I apologize for being late."

"You idiot, you had your own fight to deal with. You don't have to apologize for anything." Shirou replied.

Saber merely nodded and smiled.

"As much as I'd love to stand around here and chat, you look like crap so let's get our savior back to the Association to get you looked at shall we?" Enhance said with a grin. The tip of his sword was dripping with blood that was not his own.

"Allow me then. I will get us back quickly." Merem appeared from behind Enhance.

All the battles had been won. Merem summoned his flying demon to carry them all back to the Clock Tower. Along the way Enhance explained that he did win the fight with Trhvmn Ortenrosse, but he managed to escape before Enhance could deal the death blow. "Stubborn bastard just refuses to die." Enhance complained. Saber then explained her battle with Rizo and what happened after that led up to her meeting Shirou when she did.

Shirou arrived at The Clock Tower with an amazing reception. All the surviving Magi greeted him with thunderous applause. They didn't know his name, but he would be the hero who saved not only London, but more than likely had saved the entire world as well. Saber helped him in through the doors of the Clock Tower where he was greeted by Aoko Aozaki, Shiki, Rin, Sakura, Rider, Narbareck, Ciel and Arcueid.

"A little worse for wear, but you pulled it off. Nice job kid." Aoko clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a big smile.

"I knew you could do it Emiya." Narbareck grinned. It was finally over. Now she could start rebuilding the Burial Agency that was destroyed now that she didn't have to worry about The Dark Six.

"Was there ever any doubt in your mind? I was the one that trained him you know." Ciel said confidently.

"You IDIOT!" Rin yelled as she pushed her way passed everyone else.

Shirou smiled nervously. "Um, hello Rin."

She glared at him. "Don't you 'Hello Rin' me!" She growled. "Just look at yourself. We were all worried sick about you here and now you have to be practically carried back by Saber!" She continued her ranting. "You didn't take care of those wounds properly did you? You know you can't rely on your auto healing for everything you know!" She scolded him.

"Rin, there wasn't exactly time to-" Shirou tried to defend himself.

"That doesn't matter." She interrupted. "Saber, follow me to the infirmary and bring that idiot with you. Sakura, Rider, you come too." She said and stormed off.

"Wait a minute Tohsaka, we want to come too." Shiki said.

"Yeah, we want to talk to Shirou." Arcueid agreed.

"You guys can come in later. I want to hear some details first." Rin continued walking with Saber following behind lending Shirou her shoulder. Sakura and Rider walked on either side of Saber.

Sakura walked a little bit ahead next to Rin. "You don't think you're being a little harsh on Senpai, Nee-san?" Sakura whispered.

Rin flipped her hair over her shoulder. "No, he's an idiot."

Sakura noticed the corner of her sister's eyes were starting to water. Sakura smiled at Rin. "I'm glad he's back too."


	45. Until We Meet Again

ACT XLV - Until We Meet Again

Rin, Sakura, Saber, and Rider spent the entire night with Shirou talking to him and getting a full report on what happened with The Dark Six. Much to Shirou's dismay Rin refused to let him out of the infirmary until his wounds had closed up, even to go talk to Arcueid and the others.

"They're probably all asleep by now anyway, I'm sure they're just as tired as you are." She said whenever Shirou insisted that he was fine and could walk.

Sakura brought Shirou dinner. It seemed that Rider and Sakura had managed to scrounge up some sandwiches and canned soup Shirou guessed they found somewhere. It wasn't much, but since they'd started this ordeal it may as well have been a meal from a five star restaurant. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he could sit back and relax.

A knock at the door came and Rider got up to open it. "Yes, come in." Shirou heard Rider say and she opened the door wider.

Rin was about to protest but then saw that it was Narbareck that walked through the door. Shirou noticed that she hadn't changed her clothing yet and saw that she had quite a few scratches on her body and her clothes were very torn up. The overcoat she normally wore open was now closed as her shirt was more than likely ripped to shreds by some Dead Apostle during the battle.

"Emiya, how you holding up?" She asked. Clearly she was hiding how exhausted she was, she was covered in dust and had dried blood stains on her clothing.

"It's not nearly as bad as it seems. I think the girls are being a little overprotective right now. My healing should have everything taken care of by tomorrow." Shirou gave her a smile, but cringed a little when he saw Rin glare at him from over her shoulder.

"Well that's good to hear. I had a chat with Ms. Aozaki and she assured me the Association can handle the cleanup. So the good news is everyone is going home tomorrow." She explained.

"I guess they want us out of here pretty quick." Rin scoffed.

"They have a lot to do, I'm sure they do not want us around cleaning up seeing as there's nothing that we can do. We've done our job, now they can do theirs." Rider suggested.

Saber nodded. "I think Rider is correct. London is their town and we are outsiders, they are the best people to amend the damage."

Sakura stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. "It's going to be great, we're finally all going home together." She smiled brightly.

Shirou heaved a deep sigh and smiled at Sakura, a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Yeah... home." Shirou layed back, now that the adrenaline from the fight had worn off his fatigue was starting to catch up with him and he felt the weight of his body.

It wasn't long after that Shirou's eyes began to droop and he drifted off to sleep.

()()()

The sunlight was shining in though the window of the infirmary. Shirou opened his eyes and yawned, he felt great. It was the best sleep he'd gotten in a long time. Getting out of bed and standing up he found that his fatigue from the night before was gone. He removed his shirt and began to remove the bloody bandages from around his torso and arms, finding that his predictions were right in that his wounds were no longer there. Not even a scratch or scar remained of his battle with The Dark Six. The girls that were still there when he fell asleep were all gone.

Shirou slipped his shirt and armor back on after removing his bandages seeing as he didn't have anything else to change into. He opened the door to the infirmary to see if everyone else was up yet.

"Oh, good morning Shirou. I was just coming to get you." He was greeted by Saber who stood frozen with her arm reached out to grasp the handle that was no longer there.

"Morning, Saber." Shirou greeted her.

"Everyone is getting ready to leave, that Aozaki person wanted to speak to everyone before we leave." Saber explained.

Shirou nodded and let Saber lead him to the front door of the Clock Tower were everyone was waiting with Aoko. The only one missing was Enhance.

"Typical for him to just disappear like that." Merem mumbled from Arcueid's side.

"Good riddance." Ciel huffed and put her hands on her hips. "If I ever see him again I'm going to punch him as hard as I can." She growled.

"Hey Shirou!" Shiki waved at him as he and Saber came down the stairs. "How you doing?" He asked.

"Better than you by the looks of it." Shirou smirked. Shiki's clothes were covered with blood and he himself was covered with scratches and bruises but otherwise nothing serious.

Shiki laughed and shrugged. "Well not everyone can be a regenerating Counter Guardian." He then looked down at his clothes and sighed. "Akiha's going to be mad." He mumbled.

Aoko loudly cleared her throat and everyone stopped talking to pay attention. "On behalf of the entire Magic Association and Magi everywhere, I'd like to personally thank each and every one of you for your assistance." Her bright blue eyes sparkled and her red hair seemed to be brighter today than usual. "I have no doubt without the assistance of Narbareck and everyone else here, we would have all been either dead or worse by now."

Aoko tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Now with all the boring crap out of the way, I've arranged for several private jets to take you anywhere that you'd like to go." She turned her head toward's Shirou. "Mr. Emiya?" She asked expentantly.

"Saber, Rider, Sakura, Rin and I would like to go back home to Fuyuki." He answered.

Aoko smiled. "Very well, and the rest of you?"

"Misaki for me." Shiki answered by himself.

"Misaki." Arcueid said confidently and stuck her tongue out at Ciel.

"Ciel, Merem and I will go to Rome." Narbareck said.

"Wait a minute, when did I agree to that!" Ciel prostested.

"Ciel I need you with me for awhile, the Agency was completely destroyed and I'll need a few extra hands to help me rebuild it." Narbareck sighed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ciel caught Arcueid snickering at her.

"I have no objections to that unless you need me for something, Master?" Merem looked up at Arcueid.

Arcueid put her hands on her hips. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? Do what you want." She replied.

"Alright, the cars are waiting for you outside. I've got a lot of work to do today with the cleaning up and memory erasures and media coverage and who knows what else." Aoko growled. "Damn that Alba for leaving at a time like this."

"He's gone?" Rin asked with large eyes.

Aoko nodded. "Yeah I guess he left early this morning, I heard him mumbling something about one of his old colleagues and something about a Taiji." Then she shrugged. "Well whatever, he's like me anyway, only good for blowing things up."

Rin pouted. "Aw, I wanted to talk to him." She complained.

After that everyone exited the building to find a couple of surprisingly undamaged stretch limos waiting for them in the streets.

"Huh. That's a first." Shirou was almost taken aback. This was the first time he was getting this kind of treatment.

"Hey Shirou, if this is how you get treated all the time I should go save the world with you more often." Shiki grinned.

Shiriou, Rin, Sakura, Rider, and Saber all piled into the first while Shiki, Arcueid, Ciel, Narbareck, and Merem squeezed into the second. The drive to the airport felt long, but at least they were going in style. The seats inside were pure leather and there were controls for a sunroof, heated seats, tv and other things.

Finally after taking an indirect route because of the damage to the city they arrived at the airport where three small luxury jets were waiting. The cars stopped and everyone got out.

"Shirou~!" Arcueid called out to him and ran up to give him a big hug, nearly breaking Shirou's back. "Thanks again for helping me deal with my troublesome sister, The Dark Six would have proved annoying also if left alone for too long."

"Uh yeah sure, mind letting go? It's kinda hard to breathe." Shirou choked out.

"Oh, sorry." Arcueid let him go and he gasped for air.

"Shirou, we need to get together again soon. For something other than killing vampires I mean." Shiki suggested.

"Well, I'd love to have you and the girls come stay with us in Fuyuki for a couple days." Shirou's house was plenty big for them, and he'd like to have another party with them again. He enjoyed cooking with Kohaku and talking with Hisui.

Shiki then exchanged phone numbers and a fist bump with Shirou. "See you on the far side, Counter Guardian. Be sure to keep in touch." Shirou waved them off as they headed up the stairs and boarded the jet.

"Bye Ciel, have fun in Rome!" Arcueid snickered and waved at her before boarding the jet with Shiki and closing the door.

"Why you big saddlebag-having-" Ciel growled but she was interrupted by Narbareck who stopped her from rushing at Arcueid. "Let me go damn you! I'm going to kill her!" She complained.

"Just as hotheaded as ever. Quite a mouth you have on you, aren't you supposed to be some kind of Priest?" Out from behind one of the limos stepped Enhance, who had walked in from another direction after the limos pulled up. He had a bag in his hand with a straw in it and he was casually sipping from it.

"Enhance?" Ciel stood clueless. Then she saw the bag in her hand and glared at him. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked.

"Hey, cut me some slack babe. I haven't had a drink for a couple days now, I was thirsty." He replied nonchalontly.

Ciel broke free of Narbareck's grip and ran forward, she raised her fist and it connected with Enhance's jaw sending him sprawling to the ground. "What exactly do you think you're doing!"

"Well, she did say she'd slug him one." Narbareck laughed.

Enhance rubbed his jaw. "Ow! What the hell was that for Lady?"

Ciel growled. "First of all, my name is Ciel. Second, I can't believe you just ran off like that. How did you know we were here?" She asked angrily, the vein popping out in her forehead.

"It's no surprise that the Association would send you home, it's the least they could do after all." He grinned and took a sip from the blood pack.

"So what are you going to do now that this is all over?" Ciel asked, crossing her arms.

"I'm going after Ortenrosse. I'm going to find some way to kill him."

"What for? He's not a threat anymore, he'll probably just go and hide somewhere." Merem interrupted.

"It's personal." Enhance said flatly.

"Well don't go and get yourself killed." Ciel hmphed and turned her head.

"Will you miss me if I do?" Enhance grinned.

"Like hell!" She pulled back her fist for another punch and watched Enhance twitch, then she stopped. She turned to walk away with Narbareck and Merem before stopping and turning her head back. "You're all right for a Dead Apostle."

"Whatever, don't worry about me. You can count on me living long enough to stop by and annoy you some more." Enhance waved her off.

"I'll kill you if you do." Ciel called after him.

"Whatever you say, Lady." Enhance chuckled.

"Shirou, I'll see you again soon!" She called to him.

"Keep in touch, Ciel." Shirou waved and they boarded the plane and prepared for takeoff.

"Shall we head home Shirou?" Saber asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

They headed up the ramp to board the plane together. "It'll most likely take a day to get there so we won't see home until tomorrow." Rin added.

"But at least we are on our way. It'll be nice to get back home." Rider said.

"This will be a good opprotunity to get some rest though." Sakura sat down in one of the seats on the jet. It was indeed very luxurious, it had everything one could want. A bar, couch, refrigerator, microwave, tables like booths in a restaurant, and a large television in the front.

"This is certainly something isn't it?" Rider said as she took her seat.

"What do you suppose Aoko uses that for?" Shirou pointed to the back of the plane. Sticking out of the floor all the way up to the cieling was a pole that Shirou didn't even have to guess it's purpose to know what it was.

"What the hell!" Rin exclaimed.

"Oh my." Sakura looked embarassed.

"You don't think that she uses that do you?" Saber asked.

They all looked at each other for a few seconds.

"We're preparing to take off now. From here to Fuyuki International Airport will be about 20 hours." The pilot said and broke the silence.

"Ah, yes thank you." Shirou jumped before replying, surprised. The pilot disappeared as quickly as he'd let them know and soon they were in the air, still contemplating silently with one another about the pole in the back. Shirou had a hard time picturing the beautiful Aoko Aozaki doing something like pole dancing to pass the time. After all, why else would there be something like that here?

"Well, let's just forget about it for now. Who's thirsty?"

_Time until landing: 12 hours. -_

The first half of the flight was spent chatting amongst themselves and watching whatever was on the television. Everyone was in high spirits as they were all finally going home to Fuyuki. No more battles lay ahead, they could all finally just sit back and relax.

"Shirou, what's the first thing we should do when we get back?" Sakura asked cheerfully.

"Take a bath. I'm completely covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, I feel like I just played a week long game of baseball." Shirou looked down at his armor.

"I think she means after all of that. I could use a good shower too you know." Rin huffed. Since they left she had started to get a bit more cheerful, once she got home she would finally able to get a good night's sleep.

"Let's have Fuji-nee over for dinner. I didn't get a chance to see her before we left." Shirou said after thinking for a moment.

"Yes, I would also like to see Taiga again." Saber nodded with a faint smile.

"What about you Rider? Is there anything you want to do?" Sakura turned her head to where Rider was sitting but she wasn't there. "Rider?" She called and turned her head. Sakura looked to Rin who chuckled a little and pointed her thumb backwards towards the back of the plane. Sakura unbuckled her seatbelt and turned around.

Rider was bent over in front of a small refrigerator. Her torso had disappeared behind the open door and all that could be seen was her rear end sticking up in the air as she rummaged around what sounded like glass bottles. Sakura nor anyone else had seen or heard her get up.

"Rider what are you doing?" Sakura stood up and put her hands on her hips.

Rider stood up with a few bottles of alcohol in her arms. "It's about time we celebrate isn't it? The evil has been vanquished, and our peaceful lives our going to return. I'd say that's reason enough, don't you?" She said with a smile.

Rin thought for a moment and then grinned. "I don't normally drink much, but Rider has a point. Let's go for it." She said enthusiastically.

"But.." Sakura protested.

"We still have quite awhile to travel yet. We may as well entertain ourselves." Saber said with a faint smile.

Sakura still looked unconvinced but let it go and nodded. "Maybe just a little bit." She didn't like Rider drinking too much. When it was just the two of them in the Emiya house the majority of her day concisted of drinking, lazing about the house, reading, and occasionally hanging out at the Copenhagen bar and talking with a friend of Sakura's she went to school with who happened to work there.

"Cheers!" After the drinks were poured by Rider everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.

_Time until landing: 10 hours. -_

The atmosphere in the plane had completely changed from two hours earlier. Empty cans were piled up in one of the trash cans on the plane with an equally empty bottle of spiced rum sitting gracefully on top. Shirou and the girls had moved to the more comfortable position of the large leather couch in the very back of the plane.

Everyone but Rider who was currently twirling her body around the pole in front of the couch with surprising skill.

"Where in the world did you learn how to do that?" Shirou asked in bewilderment. He was having some trouble taking his eyes off of her. She looked like a professional the way she wrapped her legs around the bar and climbed upwards using her arms only to slide back down to the ground.

Saber leaned over and frowned angrily at Shirou. "Shirou, if you continue to stare at Rider in such a way I shall become troubled." She puffed out her cheek.

"When I was alive I had to be very good at seducing humans, I learned many things from the women of the old world. After all, it is of course the world's oldest profession, though I did it for different reasons." Rider explained as she pulled herself up to her feet and wrapped a long, slender leg around the silver metal.

Shirou tore his eyes away from Rider and looked at Saber for an apology.

"That makes sense." Rin chimed in. "That's how you ate isn't it?" She asked casually.

Rider nodded. "Indeed."

"But you don't have to do that any more right?" Sakura asked with a worried expression.

"Of course not." Rider reassured her. "I get plenty of food and magical energy from you. I also live a pretty carefree life, I have you to thank for that, Sakura." Rider stopped her dancing and gave her a small smile.

After that the night started to wind down. Thankfully nothing too crazy happened and everyone began to feel a bit fatigued at about the same time. Soon the television on the wall was the only sound next to the roar of the plane itself. Shirou and Saber had fallen asleep leaning against each other on the couch. The others had done the same, all falling asleep in various positions. They could all rest now without worrying what battle the next day brought, they were going home.


	46. Of Tigers and Dragons

ACT XLVI - Of Dragons and Tigers

Shirou awoke with a large bump in the plane. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and realized he was laying down, he didn't remember laying down when he went to sleep.

"Good morning Shirou." Saber looked down at him and smiled warmly.

Shirou groaned and sat up from Saber's lap. "Morning. Where are we?" He asked groggily.

"We are about an hour away from Fuyuki." She answered. "Shall I make some coffee?" She asked.

Shirou shook his head. "No thanks, when we get home I'll make everyone some tea." He looked over his shoulder and saw that Rin was still sleeping, while Sakura and Rider were in their seats in the front of the plane watching a cooking show on television and talking amongst themselves. "I guess I should wake her up." He said and looked at the sleeping Rin with a faint smile on his face. Normally, this would incur the demon's wrath but the circumstances were thankfully different than normal.

Shirou reached and and tapped Rin's shoulder. "Tohsaka." He called cautiously.

She didn't open her eyes but batted his hand away.

"Come on Tohsaka, we're almost there." Shirou gently gave her shoulder a squeeze and shook it.

Rin opened her eyes and glared at him. "I'm not getting up unless you address me like I told you to." She hmphed and closed her eyes again, her hair now covering her face.

Shirou grinned. He figured that calling her by her last name would wake her up. "Alright, Rin."

Rin sat up and fixed her hair. "That's better."

Shirou heard the intercom turn on just then. "Excuse me folks, we are starting our decent into Fuyuki International. Looks like the weather today will be partly cloudy with a temperture of around 22, Celcius of course. If you'll fasten your seatbelts we can get you there safely at around 10:00 am." The pilot said over the intercom before it clicked off.

The plane landed, and Shirou and the girls were back home in Fuyuki City. The five of them got onto the public transportation bus that would take them within walking distance of Shirou's place. The bus stopped at one of the residential areas near the old High School, and Rin got up.

"I'm getting out here, I want to straighten my own home up but I'll be over later alright?" Rin said as she stood up.

"Please don't forget, Nee-san. We'll be waiting." Sakura saw her off with a smile.

"I'll have lunch waiting, so don't take too long." Shirou waved.

"See you later, Rin." Rider smiled and nodded.

"Goodbye, Rin." Saber waved.

Rin walked down the steps and turned back. "Don't worry, I'll be by for lunch." She left the bus and then began to walk towards the direction of her mansion.

The bus continued on it's way until it stopped again down the street.

"Shirou, let's walk the rest of the way." Saber suggested.

He nodded. "Good idea, it's such a nice day we may as well take advantage of it." He turned to Sakura and Rider. "You two have any objections?" He asked.

They both shook their heads. "Of course not Senpai, this is the first time we've been hom in what feels like forever. Walking will be good for us."

They all stood up. "Alright, then we walk home." Shirou beamed and led the girls out to the streets.

The sun was high in the sky as the four of them walked together, Saber held onto Shirou's arm as they walked, walking as close as she could to him. Occasionally Shirou caught her looking up at him from the corner of his eye. It had been some time since he'd seen her in such a beautiful light, and it got him thinking. "_What am I going to do for the rest of my life?"_ He thought. He didn't feel the urge to leave again and go out on his own.

He wanted to stay here in Fuyuki. He loved Saber, and he wanted to stay by Sakura and the others as well. Shirou didn't know what the future would bring, but for now he would build on his happiness and happiness for those around him. This is what he thought as he approached the street he lived on. "Maybe it's time..." He mumbled.

"Hm? Did you say something Shirou?" Saber looked up at him tilted her head curiously.

Shirou smiled and shook his head. "No, it's nothing." Over his shoulder, he noticed Sakura was giving him a curious look.

Finally they reached the street the Emiya house sat on. and the walls that separated his large grounds from the rest of the street. The high walls seemed to welcome him home with a glow in the sunlight.

Sakura trotted ahead and dug into her pocket for a small silver key, which she unlocked the small gate with and pushed it open. She stood there and smiled. "Welcome home, everyone." She said brightly.

"I'm back." Shirou, Saber, and Rider said almost unanimously.

They walked through the gate together and stepped into the yard. Everything looked just like it did when they left, like time had stopped when they were gone. The grass was green, and the lights were off inside, the sound of the leaves of the trees blowing in the wind was a sweet sound welcoming them home. Everything was the same except one thing.

"Shirou, do you remember leaving the door to the shed open when we left?" Saber asked and pointed.

Everyone turned and looked, the door to the shed Shirou often trained in was wide open.

"I'm sure that I didn't." Shirou walked across the grass towards the shed when he heard a noise inside, like a foot sliding along the concrete floor of the shed.

"Who's there! Show yourself!" Saber demanded. Rider had lowered her stance and positioned herself in front of Sakura.

A head peeked out and a pair of large brown, tear filled eyes revealed themselves from behind the corner along with short brown hair. A whimpering noise could be heard from the other side, along with a voice that Shirou swore said "Scary".

"Fuji-nee?" Shirou called.

Fujimura Taiga stepped out from behind the corner. She looked at Shirou for a moment. "Shirou~!" In an instant she burst into tears and almost tackled him to the ground. "Where did you go Shirou? I almost starved to death you know!" She sobbed and nuzzled Shirou's cheek like a large cat.

Shirou chuckled and patted her head. He hadn't seen her since a couple of years ago even before he was training with Ciel, and before the last Grail War where he met Arcueid. He really should have taken the time out to see her again. Shirou figured it would be good for her to be without him for awhile, but it seemed she was the same as ever.

"None of my subordinates can cook as well as you, you know!" She wailed. Shirou figured she was talking about her father's men. When old man Raiga died, he must have left everything to his daughter, including the local gang.

"I missed you too, Fuji-nee." Shirou patted her on the back.

Fujimura sniffled loudly and released Shirou from her iron grip. "Saber, you're back too?" She asked.

Saber nodded. "Yes, I've been taking care of Shirou again." She said so with a faint smile.

"Why don't we all go inside, I imagine you all will want to catch up with Fujimura-sensei." Sakura said. In Shirou's absense, she still occasionally stopped by to eat and drop off random packages in Shirou's shed. Fujimura got familiar with Rider, and had personally approved her staying in the house with Sakura while Shirou was gone.

Fujimura's demeanor seemed to change instantly and she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Shirou. "Yes, you have a lot of explaining to do Emiya Shirou."

"Fuji-nee please don't call me that..." Shirou groaned.

Everyone retreated inside and Sakura managed to convince Shirou that he should catch up with Fujimura while she and Rider take care of lunch. Most of what was in the fridge had expired so it had to be thrown out.

"Senpai, Rider and I have to go shopping before we make anything so you and Saber stay here and relax with Fujimura-sensei okay?" She waved and then left with Rider, who had changed into a pair of jeans and a tight fitting black t shirt, also exchanging her eye covering to the pair of magical glasses she wore when not fighting.

After they had left Shirou made tea for the three of them, he set the cups and the kettle on the table as Fujimura looked up at him.

"So what have you been doing all this time Shirou?" She asked tilting her head, however she still looked angry. Tigers take awhile to calm down.

"Sorry Fuji-nee I can't really talk about it. A lot of things happened fast and I just didn't have time to see you." Shirou apologized. Fujimura knew nothing about magic or vampires, and Shirou wanted to keep it that way. The less she knew the better.

Fujimura heaved a sigh. "You've always been like that, if something's important you keep it to yourself."

"Taiga, I assure you Shirou's reasons for doing so are correct. I'm sure there are things that he keeps from everyone, but I know he does it because he cares. Is that not correct Shirou?" Saber backed him up.

"Well, as long as you and everyone are back safe." Fujimura sighed. "Thanks for taking care of him Saber. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble." She said cheerfully.

Saber smiled. "You should know how Shirou is better than anyone. He is always trouble." She chuckled.

Fujimura laughed. "You're right about that! He's been trouble ever since I've known him."

"Do you girls think I'm really that much trouble?" Shirou asked, hoping they would deny it.

"Of course you are." Both of them said at once, before they looked at each other and started laughing again.

Shirou groaned.

A knock came at the door and Shirou got up to go answer it. "You two stay here and enjoy yourselves. The troublemaker needs to go answer the door."

He opened the door and was met with Rin. She smiled at him, she had changed her clothes and also smelled like she just took a bath. Shirou could smell the brand of soap she used. "Hello Shirou. Boy it felt so good to be back home and take a bath doesn't it?" She said cheerfully.

"Haven't had a chance yet, Fuji-nee is here." Shirou answered.

As if on cue Fujimura peeked her head around the corner. "Shirou who is it?" She asked loudly.

"Hello Taiga." Rin greeted her warmly.

Fujimura made a yowling sound like a cat that just had it's tail stepped on. "Why did you call me by my first name Tohsaka?" She whined.

Rin looked surprised. "Why wouldn't I? I'm not in High School anymore, so it's only natural I don't address you as sensei." Rin didn't know this, but she was the only one to call Fujimura like that. Sakura still referred to her as "Fujimura-sensei" just as she still called Shirou "Senpai". Even Shirou didn't adress her by her name, calling her as he always did.

Shirou ignored Fujimura's whining and invited Rin inside. "Sakura and Rider went out shopping. She said all the food went bad while we were gone so they had to go get some."

"Shirou~ are you sure there's nothing around? I'm starving." Fujimura complained.

Soon after, Sakura and Rider returned each carrying several large bags filled with food. Shirou took the bags and told them to go in the living room and relax as he put the food away. He heard the girls chatting and laughing in the living room, but he shoved their conversation to the back of his mind and started thinking about what he wanted to cook with the ingredients that Sakura had brought home. It looked like she'd bought everything to make a meat pot. A meat pot would be a great way to celebrate their homecoming, he would have to make enough for Fujimura as well no doubt she'd want to stay.

"Sakura, you want to help me in here?" Shirou called as he put his old apron on and tied it in the back. It felt good to wear it again, he missed cooking. The last time he'd really gotten to cook was with Kohaku.

Sakura jumped to her feet. "Of course, I'll be right there Senpai!" She called happily and practically skipped into the kitchen and found her old apron on it's place hanging right next to Shirou's.

Shirou had to do some digging to find his pot he cooked meat in, he didn't use it much so it looked a little worn. "Sakura can you chop the onions for me?" He asked her.

"Sure Senpai." She smiled brightly, took out the cutting board and placed an onion on it. This is when Sakura was the happiest. If she could just stay here, cooking with Shirou and Rider for the rest of her life then she would be satisfied. It didn't matter what happened, as long as she was with him and Rider nothing else mattered.

"Shirou is it ready yet?" Fujimura called from the living room a few minutes later.

Shirou poked his head out of the kitchen and nodded, wiping his hands on his apron. "Yeah it's pretty much done now. All that's left is to let the meat simmer, and we can do that out there." Shirou got the electric pot and brought it out filled with the broth and spices the meat would simmer in to soak in the flavor.

Sakura brought out a bowl of mandarins and soon the room was filled with idle chatter and the sweet bubbling sound of simmering meat. Fujimura liked to talk about school and the new students.

"The talent in the Archery Club has really gone down since Sakura and Mitsuzuri graduated." Fujimura complained as she stuffed one of the mandarins into her mouth.

"Oh speaking of Ayako, she's working at the Copenhagen isn't she?" Rin asked. She and Mitsuzuri were best friends in High School, unfortunately though they fell out of contact with Mituzuri's job and Rin's ocassional trips to the Clock Tower.

Rider nodded. "Yes she does. I go to talk to her and Neko all the time." She turned to Shirou. "She still talks about you a lot."

"Neko does?" Shirou looked surprised. He used to work for the owner of The Copenhagen. Her real name was Hotaruzuka Otoko, but she hated her name insisting that everyone refer to her as "Neko".

Rider nodded and chuckled a bit. "Yes, she misses her Emi-yan. You should stop by and see her when you get the chance."

Shirou's face turned as red as a lobster. "Emi-yan" was the pet name that Hotaruzuka called him all the time. He used to work for her while in High School and grew quite attatched to him. However in reality, whenever she called him that in embarassed him beyond comprehension. Hearing Rider call him that didn't help either.

Upon seeing his face all the girls started laughing, even Fujimura managed to laugh at him while stuffing food into her mouth. Shirou groaned, this was just as bad as Rin teasing him. "I'll go talk to her sometime soon." He mumbled.

Fujimura noticed the outfit Saber was wearing, it was the only thing that she'd ever seen her wear. "Saber you still wear that old thing?" She asked.

Saber nodded. "Yes of course. It is comfortable, easy to move in, and Shirou has always told me how much he likes it. It is only natural that I would keep wearing it." She said happily.

"You haven't taken her shoping since I last saw her Shirou?" Fujimura narrowed her eyes at him.

Shirou scratched the back of his head. "Er, well no I haven't. I don't know anything about shopping for girls." He admitted.

"Do you mean to tell me you've been surrounded by all these girls and you haven't learned what they like?" Fujimura gasped.

"I've got an idea. Why don't we all go shopping tomorrow and take Senpai with us?" Sakura suggested.

Rin nodded. "Yeah that sounds good, I think we all need to blow off some steam and get some new clothes. Nice idea Sakura." Rin gave her a thumbs up.

"Wait a minute here, why do I have to go with all of you?" Shirou protested.

"Come on Shirou, it sounds like it will be fun. These beautiful girls are asking you out on a date, you aren't going to turn them down are you?" Fujimura said with a grin.

"I must protest as well." Saber spoke up. "I do not approve of all of you going on a date with him."

The room fell silent. Fujimura dropped her chopsticks, Sakura's eyes widened, Rin kept eating silently until Fujimura noticed and grabbed another piece of meat, Rider sat silently and glanced at Sakura to see her reaction.

"Saber I think you misunderstood Taiga." Rin broke the silence. Fujimura made a whimpering sound when Rin called her by her first name but Rin ignored her. "I don't think she meant a date in the sense that you know it. The kind of date we're talking about is when a bunch of friends go out together and do something fun." She explained.

"Th-that is what I am protesting." Saber's face was beginning to turn pink and she started to fidget around.

"Oh I get it." Rin said with an evil looking grin.

"What are you talking about Saber?" Shirou asked curiously.

"If we are to go shopping, then I wish to go alone with you... on a date." Saber lowered her head so her hair would hide her blushing face.

Shirou smiled. He was surprised that Saber asked him on a date first, he was planning to ask her the next day after things winded down a bit but it seems she beat him to the punch. "I'd love to Saber."

Fujimura made a whining sound. "Then I guess the rest of us will have to go by ourselves." She frowned, looking disappointed.

"Alright Saber, we'll allow you to steal Shirou for awhile." Rin grinned.

"I am not stealing him Rin." Saber said loudly. This only caused Rin to giggle and grab a piece of meat that Fujimura had been reaching for. She made a growling noise and glared at Rin, who ignored her.

After that the meal was finished and the day started to wind down a little. Fujimura got a call on her cellular phone, and said she had to go back home mumbling something about "Those idiots can't do anything without me". Shirou said goodbye to her and then left to take care of the dishes while Rider plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"It was nice to talk to Fujimura again wasn't it?" Sakura asked Shirou as they washed the dishes together.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, Fuji-nee hasn't changed a bit though." When they were finished went out to the living room. "If you girls want to go take a bath go ahead."

"I'll be going first Senpai!" Sakura trotted off to the bathroom quickly.

Shirou sat on the couch next to Rider and heaved a sigh.

"It's nice to be home for good, isn't it Shirou?" Rider asked.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, whatever happens from here on out let's stay together alright? All of us."

"Of course, Shirou." Saber smiled at him.

Rin hmphed and tossed her hair. "I guess I'll have to. You'd do something stupid if I left you alone for too long."

They talked idly amongst themselves until Sakura came out of the shower smelling fresh, tiny drops of water still stuck to her hair. Rider took her place in the bathroom, and Saber was the last to have her turn. After Saber got out of the shower Rin said she had some things to do at home and left, saying she'd see everyone tomorrow. Finally it was Shirou's turn to wash all the blood and sweat off himself. He took the bandages off his body, seeing that the wounds he sustained while fighting had completely healed.

He sometimes forgot he was a Counter Guardian when he wasn't fighting. Normally he didn't feel any different, but in a combat situation he could fight just as well as any Servant. "Well, that doesn't matter anymore." He mumbled. He wasn't planning on fighting again anytime soon. The warm water felt good on his skin, but his enjoyment was interrupted as he heard the sound of the bathroom door being opened.

"I'm not quite done in here so would you mind giving me a few more minutes?" Shirou called into the steamy room.

The shower door opened and out of the corner of his eye Shirou saw a slender leg step into the shower. Shirou couldn't help but turn his head, the smooth skin caught his eye, and he knew exactly who it was before she spoke with a soft voice. "Shirou if you will allow me I would like to wash your back."

"Um, Arturia?" Even though he knew it was her, the words came out of his mouth for confirmation, not really believing it himself. He called her by her name again, now that Fujimura was gone who still knew her as Saber and not as her name.

Saber's figure stepped into the shower, one hand was held over her chest and the other held a washrag that Shirou had left on the sink. He'd forgotten to bring it in with him. "Um... sure." He managed to choke out. No matter how many times he saw her, Saber never got any less beautiful, and Shirou never got used to it.

"P-Please do not stare at me Shirou..." Saber said with embarassment.

Shirou peeled his eyes away. "Sorry... after all this time I still can't help it." He felt the warm cloth touch his back as Saber began to wash him.

"We haven't had very much time alone lately, so I at least wanted to take this opprotunity." She said in a soft voice.

"I'm glad you did." Shirou smiled. He then felt her arms slip around him and she pressed her body against his back, embracing him. He felt the softness of her breasts against his back, and felt her lips touch his shoulderblade sending shivers up his spine.

"As am I." She whispered.

"Hm..." Shirou thought for a moment.

"Is something the matter?" Saber asked.

Shirou nodded and turned around, wrapping his arms around Saber. "Yes, you're right. We haven't been spending enough time together."

Saber made a tiny squeaking noise when he picked Saber up off of her feet. "Shirou! What in the world are you doing? Please put me down." She protested.

"Doing something selfish. Let's go, please try and keep quiet." Shirou positioned one arm under her legs and cradled her body against him with the other. He'd forgotten how light she was as he shimmied open the door of the bathroom and emerged into the hallway carrying her.

Saber kicked her feet and protested further. "Shirou please, we are both still naked and we should not be walking around the house." She complained.

"We'll be alright, the girls are still watching TV in the living room." Shirou reassured her and continued to carry her down the hallway with the occasional sound of water dripping off their bodies and pattering on the wooden floor.

Shirou arrived at his room and managed to slide open his door. The room smelled unused and empty, luckily there was a futon still laid out. Shirou knelt down and gently laid Saber down on it, who had stopped her struggling after realizing what was going on. "The futon is going to get soaked..." Saber said in a soft voice as she propped herself up and looked at Shirou.

"I'm not worried about the futon Arturia." Shirou brought his body close to hers and pressed his lips against hers. She was still tense at first, probably worrying about them being discovered by either Sakura or Rider. However after a minute or two she relaxed and accepted Shirou, wrapping her arms tightly around his body. The two of them embraced each other long into the night, until the both of them fell into a deep sleep. Finally glad to be home and with each other.


	47. The Date

ACT XLVII - The Date

Just before lunch the next day Shirou was cleaning up the house. After he finished he would go out on his date with Saber.

"Shirou, are you certain you would not like my help?" She asked when he left the house to clean the dojo. She and the others had offered several times already, but Shirou insisted that it was good for him to clean his own house and that he'd been away for so long that he should be the one to do it alone just once.

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead when he was finished. Feeling a sense of accomplishment on seeing the old dojo clean and shining again.

There was one thing that Shirou wanted to do. Something that had been looming on his mind since Saber disappeard not long after he first met her. Now that Saber was going to be staying in this world, he would get his chance to do it. However there were some preparations first. He didn't want to tell anyone yet, especially not Rin who would probably just laugh at him.

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind for now. Today, Saber had asked him out on a date. That meant today was for her, he wanted to make her happy. He could worry about everything else after that.

Shirou returned to the house and was taken aback at what he saw.

"Hello Shirou, have you finished the chores?" Saber turned and greeted him with a smile, her golden hair flowing over her face.

Shirou pointed at Saber and stuttered. "Y-y-y-y-your hair."

Saber was wearing her hair down. Which she rarely did other than when she was sleeping, or in the shower. To see her during the daytime without the trademark bun in her hair was almost too much for Shirou. The sun shining through the windows showed through and made Saber's hair shimmer like tiny little diamonds were imbedded within it.

"Is there something wrong with my hair Shirou?" She grabbed a lock of her hair and stroked it as if she was examining it.

"N-no. I'm just not used to seeing it like that." Shirou scratched the back of his head. "Where's Sakura and the others?"

"Rin came over and retrieved them while you were in the dojo. It's going to be just the two of us until dinner." She smiled warmly.

They must have been really determined if they went out without either Saber or himself. Perhaps it was for the best, at least they were occupied and couldn't bother the two of them. Shirou extended his hand. "Shall we?" He said with a smile.

Saber smiled and took his hand, letting him pull her up. Hand in hand, they walked through the front door together into the sun. There were a few dark clouds on the horizon that looked like they might move in and cause a rainstorm, but that shouldn't be for another few hours by the looks of it. They agreed to walk to the shopping district and enjoy the sun while they could. The sound their footsteps made seemed to be the only connection to the outside world, they only needed each other right now.

Saber grabbed onto his arm and held it as they walked together. Her hair, now free swayed with their steps. Shirou thought it felt good, not only because Saber was holding onto his arm, but even the clothes on his back. He had discarded his armor in his room and was now back to wearing jeans and a white t shirt with a blue border around the sleeves and v-shaped neck.

Barely a word was said between them. About halfway there Saber leaned her head against Shirou, closed her eyes and simply let him lead her along. The mood was perfect, words could only spoil such a thing. Shirou looked down at her and smiled, he began to think about where to take Saber first. Well, first things first. He wanted to take her out to lunch. Rin once told him about a nice place, so that may be the best place to start.

Shirou stepped into the restaraunt with Saber, but it wasn't exactly what he expected. It looked... girly. The tables were covered with frilly cloths, and each of them held a vase full of flowers in the middle. It seemed to be a place geared towards couples, but Shirou felt out of place and even Saber had a look on her face silently asking what the two of them were doing there.

A woman in a pink maid outfit came to greet them and took them to a table in the back near the window. Even the drapes on the window were pink.

"Shirou, how exactly did you find this sort of place?" Saber tilted her head curiously.

"Don't get the wrong idea... Rin suggested this place." Shirou defended himself.

"Rin did? It's hard to imagine her liking a place like this." Saber said as she took a look around.

Shirou crossed his arms. "You're telling me. She would look so out of place in here. It makes me wonder if Rin is really hiding something." He thought for a moment. Was Rin actually a girl? Well, Shirou knew she was a girl, but did she actually act like one when nobody was around? Somewhere in the back of his mind, Shirou heard Rin yelling at him for thinking something like that.

They hurried through lunch, all the while Saber looked disappointed. Shirou asked her what was on her mind, but she said nothing was wrong and continued eating. Shirou let it be there, but still couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Sure the atmosphere was a little strange, but the food was pretty good so it couldn't be that. Saber wasn't the type to be picky about her food.

Shirou let Saber's downcast look go for now since she looked better after leaving the foofy restaraunt. Shirou reminded himself to ask Rin about it later, specifically how she found out about such a place. For now he just decided to figure out where he wanted to take her next. As of right now they were just walking together through the shopping district and seeing if they found any interesting shops.

They passed a jewelery store and Shirou caught a glympse of some rings that piqued his interest. He stopped and looked into the window, some of the rings were too gaudy, shining like some big show-offy prize. It was the kind of thing Shirou saw on corny television dramas. He was looking for something simple, yet elegant, much like Saber herself. Saber was beautiful, but she didn't seem to like expensive things. Shirou wanted to take that into account.

"Shirou, is there something that you want in there?" Saber asked after a minute or two. Shirou looked serious and deep in thought. Saber didn't think that Shirou was into these kinds of shops, but he seemed to be looking in the window with something in mind.

Shirou snapped back to the task at hand. He almost forgot that Saber with him. If he was going to buy something he would come back later by himself so he could surprise her. "Um, no I thought I saw someone I knew in there." He lied.

Saber didn't look convinced. She had never heard Shirou talk about a jewlery store before. "Are you certain?" She asked.

"Yeah, it wasn't anyone I knew though." Shirou replied.

Saber perked up. "Ah, speaking of which you mentioned someone you used to work for last night did you not?" She looked interested.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, I was talking about Neko. Why?" He asked curiously.

"I would like to meet her if that is alright." Saber asked.

Shirou scratched his head. He couldn't think of why Saber would spring something like this on him suddenly. Maybe his talking about Neko interested her and thought she'd be a good person to talk to. After all, Neko was also one of the chosen few that Rider spoke to as friends. Perhaps that was why it interested Saber.

Shirou nodded again. "Sure, why not. We can go on our way back. I promised Rider I'd visit her anyway."

Saber smiled up at him as they walked along the sidewalk looking near the shops. This time it was Saber who stopped and looked into the window of a clothing store that held clothes mostly geared towards women. The manniquen in the window was moddling a pair of slippers and a one piece blouse that ended in a skirt.

"Want to go in?" Shirou asked.

Saber nodded. "Yes, I would like to see what they have inside."

Shirou opened the glass double doors and went in with Saber. The place really was geared towards women. There were pictures on the walls of women showing off their products like jeans, shoes, blouses and other things. He felt as out of place here as he did in that restaurant earlier. Saber herself was busying rifling through some jeans hanging from a circular rack.

"Shirou are you certain that you do not mind being here? This place must be very different for men." She asked.

Shirou only smiled. "As long as I'm with you, I'll be alright." He reassured her.

A red tint spread across Saber's face. She smiled brightly and hid her face in the act of looking through the jeans. She picked up a pair and then retreated into the changing rooms in the back of the store, picking up a few more things on her way.

Now that Shirou thought about it, this was the first time he'd seen her act like this. He'd never really been shopping with her like this before, it was kind of refressing to see her act like a girl instead of like a warrior. Saber came out a moment later, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt that had a design of a sword with a pair of angel wings forming the guard. This was the logo of a brand of clothing, but maybe the sword is why it caught Saber's eye.

"H-how is it?" She asked nervously, slowly turning around. She tugged at the bottom of the shirt, trying to pull it down because it was dangerously close to showing her waistline. The jeans she picked were a bit tight, fitting closely to her body and not really leaving much to the imagination.

"Um, it's certainly a new look for you." Shirou replied, unsure of what to say. Shirou wouldn't say that that sort of look suited her, but he couldn't say that he disliked it either.

Saber looked down at herself and frowned, then returned to the safety of the dressing room after grabbing a few more items. It wasn't long before they left the store, leaving Shirou carrying the bags filled with the clothes he'd bought for Saber. She had forgone the jeans and picked out a very beautiful blouse and skirt combo among a few other things.

Now they were on their way to the Copenhagen. The bags of clothes were surprisingly heavy so it would be nice to stop and have a rest. He hadn't seen Neko for some time, Shirou could only hope she wouldn't be too upset.

"Emi-yan~!" Not a second after they'd opened the door to the Copenhagen Shirou heard the familiar call of his old boss. She vaulted over the counter in an instant and ran forward to hug him tightly. Lifting him off his feet in a spine-crushing bear hug. Her long hair swayed as she shook him in her arms.

"N-Neko." Shirou choked out, but it could barely be heard because his air supply had been cut off.

"Um, excuse me Miss but I believe Shirou is becoming troubled." Saber pointed out and came to Shirou's aid.

"Oh! Oops." Neko exclaimed, realizing his condition and dropped Shirou who began to gasp for air.

"It's nice to see you too, Neko." Shirou greeted her in a rhaspy voice and forced a smile.

Neko scratched her head and laughed nervously. "Mitsuzuri, bring out a glass of water!" Neko turned and called loudly into the back.

A girl came walking out of the back with short caramel colored hair, and eyes of equal color. "Neko, you should know better than anyone that we don't have any water around here." She said in an irritated voice as she walked out wearing a brown apron with the store's name on it. Her name was Mitsuzuri Ayako, a former member of the High School's archery club and friend to both Sakura, Rin , and more recently Rider.

"E-E-E-Emiya?" Mitsuzuri stuttered. Almost dropping bottles of Alcohol in her arms which she was about to put on the shelves.

"Yo, Mitsuzuri." Shirou greeted her warmly.

Ayako nodded. "Long time no see Emiya." She smiled and gestured towards Saber. "Is she a friend of yours?" She asked.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. Neko, Mitsuzuri, This is Arturia Pendragon." He introduced Saber using her real name. Since there was no danger, there was no fear if they knew her actual name. It is unlikely that they would put her name with the legendary King anyway.

Saber bowed politely. "It is a pleasure to meet both of you. Shirou and Rider both speak highly of you." She smiled warmly.

Ayako's ears perked up like a cat's at the mention of Rider's name. "You are one of Rider's friends?" She asked curiously. Then she thought for a moment and laughed. "I guess that makes sense, both of you have such strange names." She said honestly. "It's a pleasure to meat you too, Arturia."

Neko ushered them to a couple of seats at the bar. It was empty at the moment due to the time of the day but it wouldn't be long before it was bustling with customers. Shirou couldn't tell them what he and Saber had been doing, but he told them a story about how he was out of the country and that was where he met Saber.

"So you finally found yourself a girlfriend! Good for you Shirou!" Neko praised him like it was some amazing feat. Shirou and Saber both went red in the face and looked at each other and chuckled nervously.

"Speaking of which, you're good friends with Tohsaka aren't you Emiya? How's she doing?" Ayako asked.

"Rin hasn't changed at all." Shirou frowned.

"So she hadn't found a boyfriend yet?" Ayako asked with wide eyes, as if anticipating something.

Shirou thought for a moment. He hasn't seen Rin talking to any other guys, nor has he seen her making phone calls to anyone. "No, I don't think she has." Shirou realized with surprise himself. Rin was a beautiful girl, albeit a demon in human's clothing but she had her good points. Any guy would kill to be with a girl like her. Shirou thought it strange that he never heard her talk about guys.

Ayako smiled mischieviously. "So we're still even then." She said to herself as if remembering something from years back.

"Shirou? Where are you going?" Saber asked when he got up when Saber was talking with Ayako.

"Oh, I forgot something. Will you be alright here while I run and get it?" He asked. If he was going to do this, now was a good time while Saber was preoccupied with Neko and Ayako.

"Yes, but please hurry back. It is nearing dinner time." Saber replied. Shirou looked strange, he had a determined look in his eyes. She had seen this look many times, but only during battle. Perhaps he was conducting a battle which required a different kind of strength.

"Thanks! I'll be back soon!" Shirou called and left the Copenhagen. He ran down the street back towards the shopping district where he and Saber had just come from. There was still some time before the stores started closing, so he still had plenty of time. However if he took too long then Saber would probably scold him. She was right after all, it was nearing dinner time. If Saber was serious about something other than fighting, than it was food.

The river sparkled with the waning sunlight as Shirou walked upon it, breathing in the evening air. It was the first time that he'd spent any real time alone since he'd gotten back to Fuyuki. He always seemed to have Saber or someone else around him, it was kind of refreshing. But he wasn't out to feel refreshed, he had something to do. He returned to the jewlery shop he and Saber had passed earlier and walked inside.

There was an old man at the front desk who looked curiously at him. "Can I help you find anything in particular?" He asked.

"Yes actually. Do you have any wedding bands? Something beautiful, but not too fancy." Shirou asked. When he said the words, a warmth began to fill his body. He was sure his face was turning red as the old man showed him around, yet he could think only of Saber. His body felt lighter, he could barely feel the ground underneath him as they walked through the store.

In the end, he chose a matching pair of golden rings, the women's of course had a small diamond. Big enough to notice, yet small enough to not look horribly gaudy. They were quite expensive, but Saber was worth it, Shirou would remind himself to beg Neko for his old job back later.

"Do you want anything engraved on the inside of the bands?" The old man asked and assured Shirou he could do it right away and they would be ready in a short time.

Shirou thought for a long while and then nodded.

"Well?" The old man was getting impatient.

It should be something with great meaning to the both of them. Nothing cheesy that some other people get, it should be unique. Unique to them.

A long while later Shirou walked out of the store with the boxes in his hands. It had taken longer than he'd thought, the sun had already dipped into the horizon as he held the boxes in his hands. He opened them to take one last look before he presented them to Saber. The golden bands gleamed in the twilight and on the inside of the rings held the inscriptions that Shirou had chosen.

"Shirou, where have you been all this time?" Saber looked upset.

"Sorry about that, it took a bit longer than I'd expected." Shirou scratched his head.

"Did you get what you needed Emiya?" Ayako asked curiously.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah I got it. Sorry, but Arturia and I should be getting back home. I'm sure everyone else has beaten us home by now."

"Aww already?" Neko frowned. "You had better come back soon Emi-yan." She warned him.

"Say hello to Tohsaka and Rider for me will you?" Ayako waved the two of them off.

"It was nice meeting the two of you!" Saber called after them and then left with Shirou.

Saber grabbed Shirou's arm and held it as they walked home together. "What was it that you had to retrieve Shirou?" She asked curiously, looking at the bulge in his pockets were the boxes were hiding.

Shirou looked down at her and smiled. The golden light shining into his brown eyes as he looked down on her. "It's something very important." He said simply. He wouldn't tell her tonight, but it would be soon. He would soon reveal what lie in his pocket. Those small loops would determine what his future would be. He knew the exact place he wanted to ask her. It would be very soon. "Yes, it's important." He said again, smiling brightly.


	48. The Proposal

ACT XLVIII - The Proposal

In the end, Shirou had to end up hiding the rings. Due to the importance of them he decided to hide them in the shed, inside a box of the last of Kiritsugu's things. The box was hand carved wood with a golden design etched on the front. It looked like it held a very old weapon of some kind, but Kiritsugu never told him about such a thing nor had he ever asked about it.

Where the weapon was or even what it was will always be a mystery. The only thing Shirou could guess at due to the indentation inside the box was that it held a very old pistol. The box obviously held great importance to Kiritsugu as he kept it in pristine condition. However since it was left to Shirou it sat in the shed, gathering dust.

"Shirou, what are you doing? Sakura already made lunch." Rin, who had come over for lunch again that day burst into the shed just as Shirou was putting the box back into it's place. "Hm? What's that?" She asked curiously when she saw him putting something away.

Shirou jumped and almost dropped the box. "It's nothing! Don't worry about it!" He shot out and quickly put it onto the shelf. This was, in retrospect probably the worst possible thing to do.

Rin's eyes narrowed and she smirked like a cat that found a new toy to play with. "If you're keeping it in a place like this then it must not be very important." She said with a devious type of aura.

Shirou waved his arms frantically. "You're wrong, it's very very important!"

Rin ignored his pleas. "Well since it's not that important you won't mind if I take a look right?" She was surprisingly fast as she reached passed Shirou and grabbed the box. Dispite Shirou's protesting she opened the box and took out the two smaller boxes under the piles of old looking pictures.

"Rin put them down!" Shirou yelled.

It was to no avail as Rin had already opened the boxes and revaled the contents. "Shirou this is..." She said with forced speech. Clearly not beliving what she held in her hands.

Shirou heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yeah..." He could feel his face heating up.

"Saber?" Rin asked. She no longer had the mental capacity to complete full sentances.

Shirou nodded. "Don't tell her. Idiot." He growled and snatched the rings out of Rin's hands, returning them to Kiritsugu's box.

"I wouldn't ruin something like that!" Rin said angrily, pouting her lips.

"Alright, let's go back to the house then." Shirou walked across the lawn to the house with Rin to eat lunch. He felt a little bad for making Sakura cook all by herself, but he had to find a suitable place to hide the rings. He couldn't hide them in his room or in the house, they could easily be discovered that way.

The two of them returned together to find Sakura already had lunch on the table just as Rin had said. Saber and Rider were already sitting down enjoying a cup of tea.

Rin gave him a faint smile and a nod before going to sit next to Rider.

"Shirou, did something happen between you and Rin?" Rider asked curiously. She must have saw Rin give him that little smile, such a thing wasn't normal for her so Rider must have suspected something.

"No, nothing happened!" Rin answered for herself.

Sakura watched their reactions curiously before everyone started to eat. Everyone knew something had just happened, except for Saber who had accepted these strange events as commonplace in the Emiya household. Dismissing the event without a worry. Neither Rin nor Shirou looked unhappy, so Saber just focused on eating.

Now that Saber thought about it, Shirou had been quite distant today. Since this morning he had been rushing about the house as if he was looking for something, and then he disappeared into the shed just before lunch which he rarely visited anymore.

"Saber? Is the food not good?" Sakura asked worriedly when she saw that Saber had stopped eating and looked like she was contemplating something. It was unlike her to stop eating like she did, so naturally Sakura was concerned.

"Er, yes the food is wonderful as usual Sakura." Saber reassured her and continued eating after realizing that she had stopped. She had started thinking about Shirou's odd behaviour without noticing.

After lunch, Rider went out by herself to the Copenhagen to go see Mitsuzuri and Neko.

"Shirou, would you like to spar in the dojo?" Saber asked him after Shirou and Sakura finished cleaning up from lunch.

"Hm? The dojo? Sure but why? There's no need to train any longer right?" Shirou asked. The danger had passed, so there should be no reason to fight. Then again, he did miss the old training sessions with Saber in the dojo. Though as of now it would only be a means of spending time with one another. Shirou thought about it for a moment and looked at Saber's expression. She looked as though she was looking forward to it. Shirou nodded. "Nevermind, let's go." He smiled.

Saber smiled and the two of them retreated across the lawn to the dojo. Saber grabbed two shinai off of the wall and tossed one to Shirou.

"No holding back now, Arturia." Shirou said with a grin as he caught the weapon thrown to him.

"That goes for you as well." She took her stance and raised her wooden sword. Even though he said that, Shirou looked distracted. He was looking at Saber straight on, but she could tell that he wasn't looking at her as one would look at an opponent to defeat.

They two looked at each other for a few seconds before Saber grew impatient. "If you are not going to come, then I shall!" She raised her sword and came at Shirou.

Shirou quickly took a stance as Saber came at him and blocked her sword, pushing back against her. He gave one big push and Saber slid backwards a little. Saber then came foward again and attacked Shirou's chest. The blow landed and Shirou was sent backwards into the wall, where a number of scrolls hanging off of it shook from the impact.

Saber approached with a disappointed look on her face. "Shirou, you are not focused today." Saber put her free hand on her hip and lowered her sword. "Is there something on your mind?" She asked. When Shirou had first obtained his powers, they trained for awhile without landing a single blow on each other. In the end they broke their weapons before one of them could hit the other.

"No, I just got a bit distracted is all." He lied and picked up his sword, giving Saber a fake smile. Shirou pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Now wasn't the time to be worrying about something like that. Shirou nodded to himself. Sunset, if he was going to do it it would be at sunset.

"Alright, let's do it Arturia!" With renewed fervor Shirou clenched his fist and gripped his sword tightly.

Saber looked hesitant, but then she smiled. "That is more like it." She took her stance and Shirou came at her. The smile never left Shirou's face even as the two of them clashed their wooden swords. It was nice to see him no longer distracted and finally enjoying himself. Before she knew it she herself found herself in a good mood as well. Had she ever enjoyed fighting before? She had not fought for fun in a long time since she used to spar with her knights. She remembered her fights with Lancelot were particularly fun.

The two of them danced around each other, clashing swords well into the afternoon. After awhile, Sakura poked her head in who was bored from being alone inside the house. After asking the both of them Sakura was allowed to watch. It didn't take long before they even forgot she was there watching. Like Saber said, it didn't feel to Shirou as though they were training any longer. Sure enough, the two of them were matching skills but now it was more like a game to Shirou. It renewed the bond the two of them shared, and was a good way to spend time with one another.

Sakura could barely follow their movements. Despite being a Magus herself, Sakura hadn't seen very much combat other than the fights against the Dead Apostle Ancestors. Therefore it was difficult for her to follow their movements, they were faster than anyone she'd ever seen. Not quite as fast as she had seen Rider fight, but they certainly came close.

After at least another hour they two of them finally stopped and plopped down next to Sakura on the floor. They had both broken a light sweat. Sakura looked at both of them and smiled lightly. "You two looked like you had fun." She said and stood up. "You must be thirsty after all that, I'll get you some water."

Shirou nodded. "Thanks Sakura, it must have been boring to watch." He said. He figured Sakura was used to seeing such things with Rider and Rin around, it was also not very fun watching other people enjoy themselves.

Sakura shook her head. "Not at all Senpai. As long as you enjoy yourself then I'm happy. Even if it's just watching you." She replied softly and left the dojo.

Luckily they were careful not to break the shinai this time. These were the last two and if they broke then Shirou would have to go and buy more. Sakura returned a minute later with two bottles of water from the refrigerator. Saber and Shirou both thanked her and opened their bottles. Saber sipped her's rather elegantly while Shirou guzzled about half of it in one go.

"Shall we return to the house? The others will be home for dinner will they not?" Saber asked.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah, Fuji-nee said she'd probably be here too." He turned to Sakura. "I'll need your help again Sakura." He smiled.

"Of course, Senpai!" Sakura exclaimed in excitement and left with Shirou and Saber to prepare dinner.

()()()

"Ouch! Dammit!" Shirou yelped as he felt the blade cut into his index finger. A small drop of blood rolled out. He'd gotten careless while preparing and cut himself while peeling vegitables, which he'd not done in quite some time. In fact it was very rare for Shirou to make mistakes at all while cooking. He'd been looking out the window in the kitchen and lost focus when he saw the sun was just starting to dip low into the sky. If he wanted to ask Saber to marry him at sunset, then he would have to hurry.

"Senpai! Are you alright?" Sakura grabbed his hand not a second after he'd cried out to examine the damage. She dragged his hand to the sink and washed off the blood that was flowing from it.

"Don't worry Sakura, it's just a scratch." Shirou reassured her.

"There's a first aid kid in the bathroom, please go and take care of that properly." Sakura pushed him out of the kitchen.

It couldn't be helped. He couldn't cook when he had blood dripping from his finger, so as much as he wanted to argue with Sakura, it wouldn't do to serve Fujimura and the others food with an extra ingredient. Shirou retreated to the bathroom as he was instructed and wrapped the tip of his finger after disinfecting it. After he was done he sat at the table with Saber and the others.

"Shirou what are you doing? Shouldn't you be helping Sakura?" Fujimura asked with a dissatisfied look.

He laughed nervously and held up his hand. "I was kicked out." He scratched the back of his head.

"Are you all right Shirou?" Saber tilted her head and asked.

Shirou waved his hand and dismissed her concern. "Yeah don't worry, it wasn't that bad."

"Shirou come with me for a moment." Shirou noticed Rin's eyebrows twich a little before she grabbed him by the back collar and began dragging him away.

"No! Wait a minute Rin! Whatever I did to make you angry I apologize so let me off easy okay!" Shirou protested and waved his arms around like a bird trying to fly.

Rin dragged him out the front door and let him go. The evening air was crisp and there was a slight breeze blowing. It was a perfect summer evening. "What's the matter with you?" She asked and put her hands on her hips.

Shirou tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"

Rin smacked her palm against her forehead. "Don't tell me you're the only one that doesn't notice how strangely you've been acting lately?" She put a finger to her lips in thought. "Well, Saber might not know. She's strangely dense about some things." She shrugged and turned her attention back to Shirou.

"Have I been acting different? I've had quite a bit on my mind recently." He replied.

"Yes, you have been acting different. I heard from Saber what happened in the dojo today, and then you have that cut on your hand. You know as well as I do that your mind is occupied with other things." She explained as if it were obvious, and it was.

"Maybe I'm...nervous." Shirou's voice trailed off.

Much to his surprise, Rin started to laugh. "Nervous? What could you possibly have to be nervous about?"

"Don't laugh at me! What if she says no!" Shirou grabbed his head as if he was trying to hold it together.

"Hmm, well there's always that possibility I guess." Rin said after thinking for a moment.

"Don't tell me that!" Shirou wailed. "What am I supossed to do?"

"Shirou think about it for just one second. After having known her for so long, you should be able to know what she would say by now." Rin took a step closer to Shirou and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, as a girl I can tell that Saber definately doesn't hate you. So even if she declines for her own reasons, I have a feeling that she won't go anywhere." Rin reassured him.

Shirou took a deep breath. "You're probably right. Thanks for straightening me out, Rin." Shirou smiled lightly.

Rin blushed a little and then turned her head sharply to he side, causing her hair to be thrown over her shoulder. "I-Idiot! It's because you're so useless that I can't leave you alone. If I did you would trouble everyone else, so I had no choice."

Shirou turned to go back into the house when Rin grabbed him again. "Just get it over with, Shirou. You'll feel a lot better." She said with what sounded like a weakened voice that Shirou wasn't used to hearing, it was almost like she was really trying to reassure him.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. After dinner, that's when I'll do it. After all, Arturia's the happiest when she has a full stomach right?" He grinned.

Rin shrugged. "If you say so." She said with a mischevious smirk as if she knew something that Shirou didn't.

Back inside the house Sakura was just starting to bring out dinner. Tonight it was beef curry over rice. Again, Shirou felt bad that Sakura had to cook most of it by herself due to his accident. The talk he'd had with Rin made him feel a lot better, and he was able to talk to the others normally again. A weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He wasn't sure if Rin actually meant to help him out or not, but she did.

After dinner, they sat around having tea. But Shirou could barely focus on it, he kept staring at Saber. He couldn't get cold feet now. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Rin mouthing something to him. "Get on with it!" She mouthed.

Shirou nodded and stood up rather shakily, of course this sudden movement made everyone turn to look at him. "Shirou what is going on with you?" Fujimura looked at him like she didn't know what to make of the situation.

"Shirou, you have been acting differently today. I would like you to please explain yourself." Saber was starting to look genuinely worried about him.

That look meant Shirou couldn't delay anymore. He reached down and grabbed Saber's hand. "A-Arturia I need you to come with me." He said nervously.

"Shirou?" She looked curious.

"I-I want to go for a walk with you, I'll explain everything then." He tried to grit his teeth and control his body's reaction, but it just wasn't listening to him. What if Saber denied him? What if she had something deep down that prevented her from getting married? Shirou was scared. It was a different kind of fear he'd never felt before. Fear of losing his life, that was something he was used to. However fear of losing someone he loved, that was new.

Saber nodded with wide, worried eyes. "As you wish, I will do as you say." She stood up and Shirou led her out of the house. Before walking through the door he turned around. "Sorry everyone, I'm borrowing Saber for a bit. We'll be back soon." He left and closed the door, leaving everyone except Rin clueless as to just what was going on. Rin sat quietly and drank her tea with a satisfied look on her face.

"Wait right here a minute." Shirou requested as he and Saber crossed the lawn together. He rushed into the shed and found Kiritsugu's box, he opened them and retrieved the rings inside and thrusted the both of them into his pocket.

"Is there something that you need in there? Were we not just going for a walk?" She'd peeked inside just as Shirou was about to leave.

"Yeah, let's go." He gently took her hand and led her through the gate onto the sidewalk.

"Your hand is very hot, are you catching a fever?" Saber asked after gently squeezing Shirou's hand.

Shirou shook his head. "No, I don't think so." He forced a smile to try and ease her worries.

She didn't look convinced. "You are beginning to worry me Shirou." She said seriously.

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything soon. Trust me." Shirou had regained a small amount of his composure when they'd started walking in the sunset drenched city. They were heading towards Shinto, the sun had started to dip passed the horizon and was bathing Fuyuki City in an orange glow. A slight breeze was blowing, easing the heat and cooling Shirou's body as well as his mind.

"I trust you, but I do not understand why we must take a walk across town for you to tell me." She was confused. She didn't know what to think, or what could possibly be bothering him. He said he would explain himself and so she chose to believe in him and just simply walk with him. She had never seen Shirou act in such a way before, it baffled her.

Saber had stopped asking questions, she simply walked next to Shirou and held his hand. However she still held a very worried expression and occasionally looked over at Shirou to try and see if she could figure something out on her own. His expression told her that he was nervous about something, that would explain why his hand had started to sweat.

They reached the large red bridge leading across the river to Shinto. The river's water sparkled in the twilight like it was checkered by tiny flecks of gold. In the middle of the river was a wrecked ship that looked like it had been cleaved in two right down the middle. It was strange that the city hadn't had the wrecked removed as it had been there for some time, but there it sat rusting in the water.

The wind began to pick up without the buildings to shield them, and Saber's hair began to flow elegantly over her shoulders. Shirou stopped about halfway across the bridge and turned towards the water, putting his arms on the guard rail and looking out into the sun.

Saber stopped walking when he did and stood next to him. "Is this where you wanted to take me?" She asked, feeling the wind ruffling her clothing.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah. Do you remember the last time we were here together like this?" He asked.

"Yes, we had a very large argument that night." Her face took on a calmer expression as she remembered but then snapped back to being serious. "What exactly does that have to do with the way you have been acting?" She asked.

Shirou slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered the rings. "That was the night I fell in love with you. Maybe it was even before that night, but this was the place that I asked you to stay with me." His face softened and his lips curled into a genuine smile.

Saber nodded. "I remember, I did not fully understand my feelings. I joined the Grail War to fight and redo things to save my country. It was only until it was too late that I realized what I had in front of me was more important than what was behind me." Her face flushed a little and she smiled faintly.

"That's sort of why I brought you out here, and it explains why I've been off lately." He clutched the rings in his hand, still in his pocket.

"I am afraid I do not follow you." Saber tilted her head in confusion.

Shirou turned towards her and took his hand out of his pocket. "I'm asking you to stay."

Saber turned and watched as Shirou opened his hand and revealed the gleaming loops of gold he had clutched within it.

Saber's jaw nearly dropped to the pavement when she saw the rings Shirou presented. It felt like her heart stopped beating, and she could no longer breathe properly. A lump formed in her throat that prevented her from speaking. "S-Shirou?" She heaved out a breath and managed to speak his name.

"Please marry me. Not as Saber. As Arturia Pendragon, the woman I fell in love with." Shirou smiled.

"I..." Her voice trailed off. She found it hard to think, let alone speak. She simply stared at the rings and caught the sight of inscriptions chisled elegantly on the inside of the bands. The minute she saw them she regained her composure, she knew that Shirou was indeed serious. Saber nodded slightly. "Yes." Was all she managed to say. She could see herself spending her remaining life with Shirou and everyone else. For the first time in her life, she did not seek battle, she did not lead armies, command knights. She was happy.

Shirou took her hand, and the ring in his and slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand. All with a very wide smile on his face, a bright smile the likes of which Saber had never seen grace his face before.

Not a moment after he did so Saber embraced him. She gripped Shirou's shirt tightly, buried her face into his chest, and started to cry. Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she did not know why. She had never experienced a feeling like this before. She'd heard of women crying when they were proposed to many times, but she never believed it would happen to her. She was not allowed the luxury of being happy before, she had a job to do. But all of that was gone now. The only thing that mattered to her now was that man embracing her and lightly stroking her hair.

Their feelings had been realized. A weight had been lifted off of Shirou's shoulders, all his anxiety and worry melted away the moment she'd grabbed onto him. Saber was without a doubt going to marry him, from here on out there was a lot to do. But for now, he was content just to stand here and hold her for as long as she wanted. Shirou had slipped his own ring onto his finger after examing the inscription on it.

The inscriptions on the rings symbolized the bond that they'd shared over the years. Two people brought together by fate, inseperable. The inscription on Saber's ring was a single word. A word she used to refer to herself as when serving Shirou as his Servant. "Sword."

Finally Shirou's ring. Shirou's ring also held a single word. A word Saber once called him. He protected her, shielded her, and carried her when she was injured. The inscription on the inside of his band read "Sheath."

A sword cannot be carried without it's sheath. As such Shirou did not wish to be without Saber. He wanted her to stay, and above all he wanted her to be happy. He wanted to make her happy. Saber had a hard life, never knowing happiness or even what it meant to act like a girl. She deserves happiness, she deserves to know what it feels like to have someone by her side to rely on. Shirou was now able to give that to her.


	49. Under the Clear Blue Sky

FINAL ACT - Under The Clear Blue Sky

Upon returning to the Emiya house hand in hand Shirou and Saber were met with the stares of everyone still sitting at the table enjoying tea.

"So, how'd it go?" Rin asked with a smirk as they entered.

Shirou smiled and then proceded to tell everyone about his proposal to Saber as well as her answer.

"Eh? Shirou's getting married?" Sakura's eyes went wide, and she spoke almost in disbelief.

"It's about time, I was wondering if you were ever going to get serious." Rider said as she took a sip of her tea. However she then took a side glance at Sakura. This would surely be hard on Sakura, as Rider knew that she still held feelings for Shirou and most likely always would. Perhaps it was that Shirou saw Sakura as more of a friend than a potential lover, Rider didn't know. Rider did know that Shirou definately cared for her, but in the end it was Saber that won.

Fujimura meanwhile jumped up from the table and brought both Shirou and Saber into her arms and jumped about energetically. "My little Shirou is getting married!" She squealed with great excitement. If it had been anyone other than Saber, Fujimura might have been worried. However since she knew Saber quite well from the last time she was in Fuyuki she didn't have any complaints, except for the fact that it wasn't her that was getting married.

"Fuji-nee I'm not exactly little anymore..." Shirou protested and pushed away from Fujimura, also leaving Saber room to get away.

"Aww but I remember those days where we used to take baths together just like it was yesterday." Fujimura made a face as she remembered it.

"I-It wasn't yesterday! It was a very very long time ago!" Shirou sputtered with a face as red as Rin's blouse.

"Oh so you remember!" Fujimura's eyes grew wide and she leaned forward enough to cause Shirou to back up. "Do you remember what I looked like back then?" Fujimura struck a sexy pose, pushing out her hip and putting a hand behind her head while puffing out her lips.

"NO!" Shirou shouted, steam practically spouted from his ears.

()()()

The next morning Shirou was up early, even before Saber. He slipped out of his futon and left Saber to rest while he got dressed and went to the bathroom to start his morning routine. It was quiet without Fujimura and Rin around, especially in the morning. Which was nice because Fujimura's energy in the mornings was almost too much to deal with.

After he washed his face he headed towards the kitchen to start breakfast, but upon walking through the living room he had to stop after seeing something. Over the back of his couch draped a long slender leg ending in a bare foot. The rest of the body must be on the cushions. It was an odd way to sleep, but Shirou approached to take a closer look.

Shirou peeked over the edge of the couch to see Rider attached to the leg, snoring loudly with a happy expression on her face. Her glasses were hanging off her face, her long hair was splayed about, and she was stretched out. The funny thing was, this pose sort of suited Rider. Shirou thought she looked very natural sprawled out on the couch, she didn't have a care in the world right now, she was back home and Sakura was safe. That was all she cared about.

However Rider had her own room so it was strange for her to be out here, perhaps this was just where she happen to pass out at. Shirou had retired to his room with Saber when Sakura and Rider were still awake so he wasn't aware of what happened after that.

Shirou shrugged and pushed Rider out of his mind. Sakura must not be up yet either. "Ahaha, this is a rare chance!" He laughed to himself. Normally Sakura was the first one awake, but for some reason or another she wasn't up yet. This was Shirou's chance to make up for not being around to cook with her lately. It was unlike her to sleep in, almost unheard of even so Shirou wasn't about this opprotunity that was as rare as the Holy Grail itself! "Well maybe that wasn't the best example..." He mumbled as he began frying some eggs.

About five minutes later Shirou heard people stirring in the living room. He heard Rider's voice talking to what sounded like Sakura. It sounded like she was scolding her for sleeping on the sofa instead of in her own bed. Shirou chuckled and threw some toast into the toaster. It seemed like Sakura was always scolding Rider about something.

"Senpai what are you doing?" Sakura with her hands on her hips finally made her way into the kitchen after hearing the sound of his frying eggs.

"Ah, good morning Sakura. As you can see I'm making breakfast." Shirou turned around and wiped his hands on his apron.

Sakura frowned and began to fidget nervously with her hands. "Senpai if you were going to start breakfast I would have liked you to at least let me know."

"You've been making the meals by yourself recently since I've been running around with Saber since we got back, so I thought I'd pay you back this morning since you decided to sleep in." Shirou nodded with satisfaction.

Sakura's face reddened. Now that Shirou looked closer he noticed that Sakura's eyes were red as well, almost like she'd been crying recently. "Ah yes, Rider and I were up late talking. Next time I will be awake on time." She replied with a forced smile.

"Sakura are you alright?" He asked out of genuine concern. It could be that she was just restless and didn't get her proper rest, but if something was really bothering her then Shirou wanted to know.

"I'm just fine Senpai, there's no need for you to worry about me." She smiled and then turned to look over Shirou's shoulder. "More importantly, the eggs will burn if you stare at me any longer no?" She pointed behind him.

"Ah! The eggs!" Shirou hurried back to the kitchen to save breakfast. As he turned off the stove he heard Saber enter the living room and greet everyone else.

Now that he was engaged to Saber there was a lot he would no doubt be catching a lot of garbage from everyone, least of all Rin. "Well, I don't know the first thing about planning a wedding." Shirou had never been to a wedding, let alone know anyone who was married. Fujimura, Neko, Kuzuki, these were just a few examples. He couldn't think of anyone he could ask for advice about something like that.

Shirou didn't even remember taking breakfast out to the living room. In fact he didn't even remember cooking the bacon that was on the tray either. He must have cooked it because everyone else was in the living room. This morning he wanted to cook something simple, so that's exactly what he did. He brought the tray out and sat next to Saber. He had been too busy thinking about his marriage to Saber to even focus on breakfast. "I suposse I should be happy I can cook a decent meal without even having to think about it." He mumbled to himself.

"Good morning Shirou." Saber's smile and her voice cut through the haze in Shirou's head like she'd just used her Noble Phantasm.

Shirou chuckled about how funny that was. Since he woke up and started breakfast he'd been worrying about getting married to Saber, but the moment he saw her she blew all of that away with just a simple greeting. It was very funny to him no matter what he seemed to worry about the fact that Saber was there seemed to make everything else meaningless.

Saber frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. "Shirou, I do not understand why you are laughing at me in such a way but if you continue to do so I will become angry."

After clearing his throat Shirou turned back to Saber. "Sorry Arturia, I was laughing at something else, not at you." He reassured her.

"Hmm. If it is as you say." Saber looked at Shirou curiously and continued eating her breakfast.

Breakfast ended without much incident. Shirou had returned to normal, even retreating to Rider's room to borrow one of her books to read on the couch while Saber and Sakura took care of the laundry. Due to various reasons Shirou wasn't allowed anywhere near the laundry or else he would get a serious scolding from the girls.

The book Shirou was reading was a mystery novel. It didn't neccesarily speak to Shirou as being a very good mystery because it was too cliche, but it was just a means of passing the time until lunch. As he turned the page he realized that his golden wedding band was still on his finger. "Ah that's right... I didn't take it off last night." He mumbled to himself.

"Shirou, you are staring at your ring almost as much as Saber has been staring at hers." Shirou heard the voice say suddenly right next to his ear. He tilted his head back to see Rider looking over his shoulder, a strand of her hair fell loose and landed on Shirou's face.

"R-Rider! How long have you been standing there!" Shirou jumped in surprise and almost dropped his book.

Rider leaned in closer, her chin almost rested on his shoulder and her lips were right next to his ear. "A few pages. You were really enjoying yourself there for a moment weren't you?" She grinned.

Shirou went red in the face and pushed the book into Rider's face. "It's almost lunch time so I have to get ready" He quickly jumped up from couch and retreated into the interior of the Emiya house to the laundry room where Saber and Sakura were busying themselves.

"Shirou, what are you doing in here?" Saber asked as she hurriedly hid something behind her back. Shirou barely caught a glympse of it and it was simply a piece of underwear which didn't concern him at all... or so he told himself.

"I came to retrieve Sakura for lunch. Rin and Fuji-nee will no doubt be imposing on us today too." He said simply.

"Isn't it a little early to start yet Senpai? We still have about an hour." Sakura asked curiously.

In truth, Shirou had just wanted to get away from Rider who had been bothering him. However he didn't want to tell Sakura that, so he devised a plan. "Ah, you're still just my pupil after all." He put his hands on his hips and gave her a disappointed look.

"Eh? What do you mean Senpai?" Sakura gasped.

Now he had her. Hook, line, and sinker. Shirou shook his head in disappointment. "You see my dear kouhai, a chef must be prepared for anything!" He clenched his fists dramatically. "There is a monster coming to our dining table for lunch."

"Senpai, how is that different from any other day?" Sakura asked. He was right about being prepared, but Rin and Fujimura often joined them for meals. She didn't see what Shirou was fussing about.

Shirou had prepared himself for this, Sakura was after all a very smart girl. "Fool! Do you not remember who was at our breakfast table this morning, or rather who was not at the table?" He narrowed his eyes and explained in a dark, dramatic tone.

"Ah!" Sakura gasped again. Shirou was correct. Fujimura did not join them for breakfast today.

"It seems like you've realized it. Fujimura Taiga will be a more fearsome opponent today than normal. We have to be at the top of our game!" Shirou placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura figured that something important came up at the Fujimura-gumi and thus Taiga was not able to come to breakfast. Sakura knew that without Shirou around, Fuji-nee rarely ate anything extravagant relying on Shirou completely for her energy. Not that Fujimura was lacking any energy normally. If she wasn't here for breakfast that meant she would be especially hungry come lunch time. "We must get started right away!" Sakura said urgently.

The two of them rushed out of the laundry room leaving Saber behind wearing a confused look on her face and still clutching the piece of clothing she was going to put with the rest of the laundry. "Have I been completely left out of something?" She mumbled to herself.

As Shirou expected, Fujimura did stop by for lunch. Luckily with the pep talk he'd given Sakura earlier, they made a fantastic feast by the time she'd arrived.

"Ahhh Shirou that was amazing." Fujimura moaned and stroked her stomach after lunch was finished.

"I'm glad you liked it Fujimura-sensei." Sakura said with a smile.

Meanwhile Shirou was amazed that he had actually made Fujimura full. Normally such a feat was impossible, a tiger's stomach surely was something special. Then again, even Saber looked full so he was able to make enough to sate even the most ravanous appetite. Shirou smiled, quite proud of his accomplishment with Sakura.

"The lunch was quite extravagant today. Is there some special occasion?" Saber asked with a satisfied expression on her face.

Shirou shook his head. "Nope. I just figured that since Fuji-nee wasn't here for breakfast she'd be pretty hungry, so we made a lot." He said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Hm hm, such a good boy you are." Fujimura crossed her arms and nodded with satisfaction.

After lunch had ended the girls sat around drinking tea while Shirou excused himself to make a phone call. After all he had promised to keep in touch and he was sure everyone would be surprised to hear he had proposed to Saber. It had been a couple of days since they'd been back so they should have settled back in by now.

Luckily he'd left the number by the phone. He didn't use the phone often, so he often had to dust it off from lack of use. Neko at the Copenhagen used to always beg him to get a cell phone, but Shirou always refused. He picked up the reciever and dialed the number on the piece of paper that lay next to the phone, listening to it ring a couple of times before someone finally picked up.

"Hello, you have reached the Tohno residence. Is there something I can do for you?" An emotionless, monotoned voice answered on the other end. It was a girl's voice and judging by her tone Shirou didn't even have to think about who it was.

"This is Hisui isn't it?" Shirou asked cheerfully for confirmation. Kohaku's voice was bright and cheerful, and between the two of them they were the only ones likely to pick up the phone at the Tohno house.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who is calling?" Sounding a little flustered about being recognized Hisui asked with a nervous voice.

"Yeah, this is Emiya Shirou. Don't you remember me Hisui? It has been quite awhile since we last saw each other." Shirou reintroduced himself. Hisui didn't seem like a person who would forget him, but perhaps it was because she didn't recognize his voice over the phone.

"Oh of course Emiya-sama. My apologies." She apologized politely. As expected of a maid.

"Is Shiki in?" Shirou asked curiously. It should still be summer break for students, so unless he was out doing something then he had to be there.

"I do not believe Shiki-sama has left yet, shall I go get him for you?" Hisui asked.

Shirou said that he did and Hisui politely asked him to wait while she went and got Shiki. He wondered how Akiha and the others were doing as well, he had to invite them to the wedding whenever that would turn out to be. He hadn't talked to Saber about that yet, but he should probably get around to doing that sometime soon. He still almost couldn't believe that he did it, said those words, put that ring on her finger. But he had is own ring to keep reminding him that he and Saber were not only tied by their bond as Master and Servant, but also the bond of lovers.

"Shirou, you still there?" A minute or so later Shiki's voice came on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, how are you doing Shiki?" Shirou asked.

"Pretty good. Akiha was a little mad that I never contacted her after I left, but I think she's calmed down now." Shiki's voice lowered, Akiha must have been close by and he didn't want her to hear him complaining about her.

Shirou chuckled. "Sounds like you have it pretty hard."

"Man, you have no idea. Between Akiha and the others I have my hands full." Shiki sighed deeply. "So, I can't imagine you calling this soon just to catch up. What's going on?" He asked.

To the best of his ability Shirou explained what was going on and that he'd thought about inviting the Tohnos to the wedding.

"Congratulations! I know you had a thing for Sakura too, but in the end you chose Saber huh?" He nodded. "Well it can't have been easy chosing."

Shirou sighed. "Can we get back on topic here Shiki? Are you and the others going to come or not?" He urged Shiki on, not wanting to discuss the topic he was leaning towards. Sakura was a friend, nothing more.

"Alright alright. Kohaku and I would definately love to come for sure. However Akiha is pretty busy, and getting Hisui to leave the house is... difficult. I'll see what I can do though, but I don't think Akiha would miss something like that. I'll talk to her and get back to you." Shiki explained.

"Okay, that sounds fair. We haven't even decided when it's going to be yet, but I'd love to have the whole Tohno house there. Even Arcueid. After all, it's her fault all of this happened in the first place." Shirou said happily.

Shiki laughed. "Yeah, Arc seems to cause trouble wherever she goes. Seems like Fuyuki was no exception."

The two of them talked awhile longer before parting. Shiki said that Shirou would definately see him and the others soon. Shirou wondered how Ciel and the others were holding up as well. He was sure they were all still very busy after having their organization practically destroyed in the assault by the Dead Apostle Ancestors and unfortunately Shirou had no way of contacting them. As for Enhance, Shirou recalled him mentioning attempting to track Trhvmn Ortenrosse's whereabouts and finish him off.

The day drew on without any major events. Fujimura left shortly after lunch, mentioning something about trouble with the group. Shirou couldn't help but think she'd been in and out of the Emiya residence lately, but she's inherited quite a bit of responsibility from the Fujimura-gumi of which she was now the leader.

About two hours after lunch had passed Rin decided to drop by, she just waltzed in through the front door like she owned the place. Shirou didn't mind, but he would like it if she at least rang the doorbell.

"Hey Shirou, let's plan the wedding~!." She said as if it was perfectly natural to do so.

"Wh-WHAT! What are you saying all of a sudden?" Shirou felt like he was going to rocket through his roof in surprise when she barged in saying something like that. If he had been drinking something, he was sure it would have been sprayed everywhere.

Shirou was alone when Rin came inside the house. Sakura went shopping with Rider, and Shirou had lost track of Saber completely but since it was her he figured she was just relaxing in the dojo. That meant he had no one to back him up if Rin turned on demon mode.

"Are you that surprised? You don't know anything about this kind of thing do you? I'm almost positive Saber doesn't." Rin put her hands on her hips.

"It's more I'm surprised that _you_ know something about it!" Shirou replied.

"Huh? Are you an idiot? Of course I don't." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Wha- then why would you ask something like that?" Shirou tilted his head cluelessly.

"Because I know people that do of course. And I believe you know her as well." Rin grinned with a mischevious smile.

"Huh? I don't think I know anyone like that."

"Sure you do. That manly woman who works at the bar." Rin's grin grew wider. Shirou swear he saw a flash of her gleaming white teeth, if she had fangs they would certainly be exposed.

"Neko? She knows about weddings? More importantly how do you know her?" Shirou was taken aback.

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I know her through Mitsuzuri. Apparently she used to do some work as a planner. I'm sure she can point us to the right people."

Shirou thought for a moment. He wasn't really happy about Rin's meddling without her telling him anything, but it wasn't as if this was the first time she'd done something like that. In fact this may be just what Shirou needed. It was fortunate that it was somebody like Neko whom he was good friends with. He'd have to talk all this over with Saber of course and figure out exactly what she wanted, even though he could probably predict exactly what she would say.

_"Hm? The wedding? I do not have any requests. As long as I am standing next to you then it does not matter."_

Shirou smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it would probably be something like that."

Rin stepped closer and poked Shirou right between the eyes. Her fingernail was sharp enough to bring Shirou back to reality. "Hey, quit spacing out." She said curtly.

"Ouch, what was that for Rin?" Shirou rubbed his forehead.

"Never mind that. Where is everyone?" Rin asked after looking around, she didn't hear any movement or feel any other presence than Shirou and herself.

"Sakura and Rider are out shopping and as for Arturia... I'm not too sure but I think she's in the dojo." Shirou thought for a moment.

"Alright well let's go talk to her about this and see what she has to say." Rin grabbed his hand and began to lead him out of the house, ignoring his protests. Dispite being reliable sometimes, Shirou was pretty dense about this sort of thing so he often needed a little push in the right direction before he got things right.

As they entered the dojo it was just like Shirou thought. Saber was sitting japanese-style in the corner of the dojo where a beam of light shined through the window and bathed her in a golden light. It was almost she was giving off a holy aura, she was indeed very beautiful and looked natural in these kind of scenes. It was this kind of thing that made Shirou forget what and who she actually was. Next to Saber sat a bucket of water and a cloth used for cleaning.

Now that he looked closer, did Saber clean up the dojo while she was in here? It did look like it had been cleaned since he last did it, the wooden floors practically sparkled and Shirou could almost see his reflection in them.

Saber slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Shirou and Rin. "Good afternoon. What brings you here Rin? You did not join us for lunch." She greeted them with a gentle smile that made Shirou's heart skip at least three beats.

"Yeah sorry about that, I had some things I needed to do at home. I'll be here for dinner though." She returned Saber's smile while saying something outrageous. Lately it seemed like she'd been spending more time at the Emiya residence than at her own house.

"Arturia, Rin came over because she said she had something she wanted to talk to us about." Shirou interrupted before Rin could suggest moving her things back into the outbuilding or something crazy like that.

"Oh? What is it Rin?" Saber tilted her head curiously, locks of her hair dangled elegantly to one side.

"Well you see, I found someone who'd be willing to help plan your wedding. Fortunately she happens to be a friend of Shirou's so she should be able to cut you some kind of a deal to minimize the cost." Rin explained.

Shirou nodded. "Yeah it's Neko. You remember her right?"

"Yes, I remember you saying that you used to work for her." Saber looked like she was thinking about something.

"I thought we'd go talk to her tomorrow after lunch. Is that alright with you?" Shirou asked.

Saber nodded with a warm smile. "Yes, if possible I would like to get married in the spring when the flowers are blooming." She closed her eyes as if she was remembering something pleasant.

"Um, Shirou one more thing." Saber tugged gently on Shirou's arm as he was about to go back into the house to see if Sakura and Rider had returned yet.

"What is it Arturia?" Shirou asked curiously.

Saber stood up and walked forward with bright eyes and a light spring in her step. She stood right in front of Shirou. "Shirou, I have cleaned the dojo for you. Do you perhaps have a reward for your considerate fiancee?" She said with wide eyes while fidgeting cutely.

Luckily Shirou was still a young man, so it was relatively easy for him to fight off the crippling heart attack that he had just recieved. "Y-Yeah. I think there's some taiyaki left. I-I'll go get you one." Trying to act as if it hadn't affected him at all he reached his hand out and patted her head before retreating quickly to the house. He retrieved one of the snacks and headed back. "Geez... is she trying to kill me?" He complained out loud to the empty house.

Things were moving forward slowly. However Shirou didn't feel any rush and Saber had no wish to rush into anything either. Time passed by normally and the next day Shirou talked to Neko at the Copenhagen and after almost suffocating Shirou with a tight bear hug she agreed to help him out. She called a few of her contacts and set up some meetings. Shirou constantly had to look at his ring to remind himself that it was real. It didn't feel real at all to him.

_Six months later._

Time passed by quickly for Shirou. The year had changed without him even realizing it, and his house in Fuyuki seemed to be where he spent the least of his time. He and Shirou had been in and out nearly every day doing plannings, however he had no part in picking the cake which would remain a secret as Saber and the girls had decided amongst themselves. Shirou was the one that sent out invitations and had gotten many replies. The Tohno family would of course be coming as Akiha had consented to come along with the maids and Arcueid. Even Shirou's friends from school would be there, come to think about it it would be the first time he'd seen his old friend Issei Ryuudo in such a long time.

Saber decided that the first week in the month of May would be a good time to have the ceremony. As for the location it would be in one of the many parks in a pavilion that they would set up. As the date neared Rin had kidnapped Saber and took her back to her place.

"It's bad luck for the bride and the groom to spend too much time together when the day is near. It also helps to build up romance for the day it actually is, so with that in mind I'm going to borrow Saber until the wedding." Saying something crazy like that she practically had to drag Saber out of the house.

The house had begun to get lonely without Saber around, but they were soon replaced by the Tohnos about two days before the wedding. They showed up at Shirou's door unexpectedly because they never told him exactly when they would be coming.

"Shirou!" Shiki greeted him warmly and they shook hands, ending with a friendly bro-fist.

"Come in guys." Shirou invited them inside. In piled the large group of the Tohnos consisting of Akiha, Shiki, Arcueid, Hisui, and Kohaku.

"Hello Shirou, what a beautiful home you have." Akiha greeted him casually and stepped inside, Hisui and Kohaku following behind her.

"Hi~ Shirou! Congratulations~!" Arcueid greeted him energetically.

"Ah~ so this is where Shirou-san lives. It feels homey." Kohaku said in admiration as she looked around. Kohaku was wearing a black kimono that Shirou recognized as what she wore under her maid uniform. Her smile was as bright as ever.

"Well, it's not as extravagant as your mansion but it's home." Shirou said with a warm smile.

"Shirou-sama. It is good to see you again." Hisui bowed politely. Her clothing seemed odd... and too big for her. Shirou couldn't put it together but he'd seen that outfit before. He turned his head towards Arcueid then it hit him. Arcueid must have let Hisui borrow one of her old outfits.

"Um- Yeah. You too Hisui." Her hands barely fit through the sleeves all the way and she kept having to adjust her collar. She looked way too cute for her own good while wearing Arcueid's clothing. Shirou heaved a sigh. At this rate, he would have to come up with some kind of antidote for an overdose of moe.

"What's going on out here Senpai, it's awfully noisy." Sakura entered the living room from one of the side hallways. She must have been in her room or talking to Rider who's room was also on the west side of the house.

"Sakura I'm glad you came out here. This is Tohno Akiha, Shiki's little sister. And this is Hisui, and Kohaku." Shirou introduced each of them and then introduced Sakura.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet all of you." Sakura smiled brightly and bowed politely.

"So you're the famous Matou-sama." Kohaku said with a smile and eyed her up and down.

"F-Famous!" Sakura blushed furiously.

Kohaku nodded. "Yes, Shirou-san visited our home and we talked about many things. I've heard a lot about you." She smiled.

"Oh, um thank you." Not sure of what else to say Sakura thanked her for her kind words.

"Is Rider in her room?" Shirou asked Sakura.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, would you like me to go get her?"

"No need! I have Rider right here!" Arcueid's voice came from the hallway, apprently she had disappeared when everyone was talking and explored Shirou's house. Upon finding Rider she decided to bring her here.

After that Rider was introduced to everyone. "It's nice to meet all of you." Rider greeted them warmly with a smile while adjusting her glasses.

They retreated to the living room where every just barely managed to find a seat while Sakura went into the kitchen to make tea. Shirou excused himself to call Rin and see if he could convince her and Saber to come over and say hello to everyone. Luckily she did and soon everyone was crammed into the living room of the Emiya house and enjoying tea.

"Sorry about the tea Akiha, we only have teabags here. I'm sure it's nothing like what you're used to." Shirou said after remembering that Akiha was a proper aristocratic lady who was used to expensive things.

Akiha frowned. "Why does everyone insist on saying those types of things whenever I go somewhere. If I cared about things like that then I would not drink it in the first place." She sipped her tea again. "It is not about what the tea tastes like, it is who you drink it with that matters. Isn't that right Nii-san?" She turned to Shiki.

Shiki nodded. "Yeah." He said simply giving Shirou a look that seemed to say, "She's still in a bad mood."

"Akiha is correct. Good company is what makes simple tea the best, it is quick to prepare and relaxing to drink after a long day." Saber said and sipped her tea just as elegantly as Akiha did.

"Shiki~ let's play a game." Arcueid leaned against his shoulder and hugged his arm.

"That's a wonderful idea Arcueid-sama." Kohaku said with a mischevious smile.

"Ahaha, I think we have too many players." Sakura chuckled.

"Nonsense Matou-sama! We simple have to split into groups and use a tier system like a tournament!" Kohaku's eyes shined brightly.

"Shirou, do we even have enough cards for that?" Rider asked, tilting her head curiously.

Shirou thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I think there are some spare packs in the shed but we should have enough."

Kohaku clapped her hands together excitedly. "Then it's settled, the groups will be..." Kohaku began to explain what she had in mind.

At that moment the handle on the door turned and Fujimura entered. "Good evening every... one?" She started off energetically but her voice waned as she looked at everyone sitting in the living room surrounded by multiple packs of playing cards. She stood there for a moment and just stared at them.

"Hi Fuji-nee." Shirou greeted her normally. "Why don't you sit down, we're all about to play a game." He offered.

Fujimura seemed to return to normal as she smiled and nodded at Shirou. "Sure, I'd love to..." She started to agree but then her demeanor changed again. "Hold on a minute! Shirou! Who are all these girls!" She yelled and charged Shirou, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him into the air. "Shirou why is it every time I come over there's a new girl in here!" Fujimura turned around and pointed to Arcueid and the others. "Just one at a time I can get used to, but this is too much! What kind of hobbies do you have? I thought you were supossed to be getting married!" She complained and shook him violently.

"Fuji-nee... let me explain." Shirou choked out. Fujimura never took things very far and would never hurt him on purpose, but it seems like this time she was really angry and confused.

Fujimura let him go and then glared at him. "Okay, explain to me who these people are." She put her hands on her hips.

Akiha cleared her throat and stood up. "Excuse me, but don't you think you're taking things a bit too far?" She said just as angrily as Fujimura looked.

Fujimura twirled around on her heels and looked at Akiha. "What is your relationship with Shirou? Huh?" She leaned forward expectantly.

Akiha didn't give her an inch and just stared back calmly. "My name is Tohno Akiha, I came into contact with him while he was out of town and I helped him out a little." Akiha explained and motioned to Hisui and Kohaku. "These two are my personal servants Hisui, and Kohaku who were also of course at my home where Shirou met them." Hisui and Kohaku bowed politely and greeted Fujimura. "And this is my brother, Tohno Shiki."

"Hi, I also ended up giving Shirou a hand a few times." Shiki waved with a smile, then he jerked is thumb towards Arcueid. "That Princess there is the reason Shirou left in the first place."

"Shiki you make it sound like all I do is cause trouble." Arcueid crossed her arms and pouted.

"I'll stop saying it when you stop doing it Arc." Shiki patted her head. She made a pouting noise and looked up at him.

"Hmm. Servants? Princess? You've gotten involved with some high class people this time Shirou." Fujimura turned back to him.

Shirou chuckled nervously. "Yeah I guess so."

Meanwhile Rin had been starting at Shiki curiously. She hadn't had the chance to interract with him much but she sensed something strange about his glasses.

"Tohsaka what are your thoughts on this?" Fujimura asked for Rin's opinion, possible for backup.

"Well they don't seem like bad people. Akiha-san certainly has a good taste in tea, so isn't it alright? It's not like they're staying indefinately." Rin said.

Akiha nodded. "Yes she's right. We have hotel reserved so we will be staying there until we return home."

Fujimura gave a satisfied nod. "Alright then, let's get on with the game shall we?" As if nothing happened she clapped her hands together and sat next to Shirou and Saber.

The night drew on as the card game for the ages ended. In the end the final two were down to Saber and Kohaku. Shirou was one of the first to be knocked out as he had to play Kohaku right off the bat who completely outwitted him and set many traps and bluffs. It was almost scary how good she was. Arcueid was also one of the first to be eliminated as she didn't seem to understand the rules and just played random cards with no thought to strategy. Still she looked like she was having a good time.

Sakura managed to last almost until the end as she had been teamed up with Rider who was very good at this sort of thing, but they were eventually beaten by the super maid combo of Hisui and Kohaku. The battle between Kohaku and Saber was fierce and seemed to go on forever, but in the end Kohaku was the one who ended up on top and won the game.

"I do not understand, she seemed to read my every move..." Saber was almost speechless.

Shirou gave the defeated a pat on the back as she mulled over her defeat. From the sidelines it looked like she was simply dancing in Kohaku's palm. Shirou had no idea someone like her could be very good at games, but she seemed to take them very seriously.

"Uwaaah, Rider beat me." Fujimura whined.

Kohaku stretched her arms over her head. "Ahhh that felt good. It's always nice to have a fresh challenge."

"Now you know why we don't play with you at home anymore." Shiki said with a laugh.

After the game the evening wound down. Fujimura seemed to get along well with her new aquantences especially Arcueid who could match her in spunk as well as energy. After dinner Fujimura went home and Rin took Saber with her back to her place. Shirou returned to his room after everyone left and soon drifted off to sleep. Since his return his armor had been in his closet collecting dust. Those bloodstained clothes would always be special to him, not because Rin had made it herself but because what he'd done while wearing it. Every night before he went to sleep he took a long look at it so he wouldn't forget what he'd done to get to where he was now.

_The last day._

The day of the wedding arrived and the park near Fuyuki's bridge spanning the river was as busy as ever. It was a beautiful spring day, the trees and the flowers were in full bloom and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. A white pavilion had been set up in the park and it soon filled up with a decent amount of people. Shirou's friends from school, the Tohno house, even Narbareck, Ciel, and Merem Solomon made an appearence without warning. It seems they'd caught wind of the wedding and went back to Fuyuki to attend.

Saber arrived wearing a beautiful white dress and carrying a bouquet of flowers. In fact the only person who was not there yet was Shirou himself. The ceremony was not supossed to take place for another thirty minutes, but still Shirou should be there. Many people were running around trying to figure out where he was.

"Ryuudo-kun have you heard from Shirou today?" Sakura asked Issei with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm afraid not Matou. It isn't like him to do something like this, I'm sure he'll show up at the last minute." Issei said after thinking for a moment.

"Keeping a girl waiting like that. I would have never thought that of him." Ciel said after shaking her head.

"I think we should have some faith. This is after all, the man who defeated The Dark Six. Though he is running out of time." Merem plopped onto one of the benches and began to swing his feet. Out of his pocket crawled his pet rat who crawled up his clothing and perched itself on Merem's head.

"Faith huh? Maybe." Narbareck sighed.

"Um, Saber. I'm sure he'll be here soon." Rider sat next to her on the bench and patted her on the back. Saber looked a bit upset so she thought she would go over and cheer her up.

"Yes, I know he will. But maybe something has happened that he cannot control..." She looked down at the flowers in her hands and the ring on her finger which gleamed brightly in the sunlight.

"I saw Senpai this morning when we left so I don't think anything serious could have happened." Sakura approached her as well. She wore a long purple dress made of silk that swished along the grass whenever she walked.

"You see, this is why I keep bothering him to get a cell phone." Neko put her hands on her hips and sighed.

"If it's Emiya, he'll definately show up. It's just a matter of time, he's not stupid enough to leave a girl that pretty waiting around." Mitsuzuri said to Rin.

Rin nodded. "Yeah probably, but he's starting to piss me off. If he leaves Saber at the altar I'll kill him." Rin walked over to Sakura and put her hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Shirou has 5 minutes to get here. If he's not here by then I'm sending out a familiar to go kick his head in." She growled.

Across the bridge and behind the Ryuudo temple the padding of feet could be heard going to the graveyard near the temple. He was alone, the suit he was wearing felt awkward. He'd never really worn this kind of thing before but today was special. There was something he had to do today, something he never even thought of doing until now. That was why he ran here as fast as his legs could take him.

He reached the graveyard and walked through it, looking for a special one. He could see it from the trail leading to it, he had never been this close to it before. He nodded as he approached the site. "Yeah. Maybe it's time." He said to himself. This would be the first and last time he would ever come here. He figured today would be a good day, the person in front of him would want to know.

"Long time no see, Dad." He greeted the person who wasn't there and knelt down in the grass. "You probably can't hear me, and I know you're not there but something in the back of my mind told me to come here." Yeah, that's all it was. Just a spur of the moment urge that would eat away at his brain if he didn't do it. So here he came.

"I managed to do it somehow. Your dream I mean. You remember what it was don't you?" He asked even though he knew no one would answer. The only thing that did answer his was the light breeze flowing through the trees around him. "I became a hero. I don't think anyone will rember me though." He laughed and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, not that I care about something like that. I managed to save a lot of people and that's what matters right?." He didn't know what made the words continue to flow from his mouth like the person could hear him.

"I'm getting married today too. She's very beautiful and you know her. From what I heard you didn't get along too well though." He brushed off some of the loose flower petals that had blown themselves onto the site and revealed the name.

_Emiya, Kiritsugu._

Shirou stood up and smiled faintly. "Guess I'd better go. They're probably freaking out about now and I shouldn't keep Saber waiting anymore. I wouldn't want her to worry." He brushed some of the dirt off of his pants. "I just dropped by to let you know that I did it. I did what I said I would and became a hero in your place." Shirou turned and started to walk away. After taking a few steps he turned back. "Bye, Dad." He said with a solemn voice and began to run.

As fast as he could he ran across the bridge until his lungs burned. He spotted the park as he crossed the bridge.

"There's Shirou!" Fujimura was the first to spot him as he ran up. A crowd of people ran to meet him including Saber.

"What in the world were you doing? You are very late you know." She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

Shirou bowed his head. "I'm really sorry, there was something that I had to do."

Saber cupped his cheeks, raised his head, and then hugged him. "I am just glad that you are safe. I was very worried, we had no way of contacting you." She squeezed him tightly.

"Alright, the idiot is finally here. Places everybody!" Rin waved her arms and shouted to get everyone's attention.

The isle cleared to the pavilion where a red carpet had been laid out. However what made it beautiful were the cherry blossom leaves that dotted the ground and were blown through the air by the wind.

Rin then walked over to Shirou and adjusted his tie, which he had undone a little when he was at the graveyard. "I'm glad you made it." She said with a smile. "Now go!" She pushed him forward and then went to take her seat.

Saber's cheeks flushed a faint tinge of red as she stood at the start of the walkway. Shirou had to force himself to step forward, not because he didn't want to but because he was stunned by how beautiful she looked in that dress. However he still managed to walk forward and hold out his hand.

"Are you ready, Arturia?" He asked with a bright smile.

She reached out and touched his hand. The second she did this, she would take on Shirou's family name and become a part of his family for real. She didn't even need to hesitate. The happiness he made her feel, the happiness she would continue to feel even after she would do this. She never had fun, and rarely smiled when she was alive but that changed when she met him. All she had to do, to gain everything she ever wanted was to reach out and touch his hand.

"Yes." The words stuck in her throat, her eyes shined with happiness as she gripped his hand.

Their fingers intertwined with one another and they stepped forward onto the red carpet that was laid out before them that led to the pavilion. They walked to their future. Together. While everyone's eyes were on them. No more fighting. No more killing. Under the clear blue sky they would walk together. Through good times and bad they would stick with one another, hand in hand. Each step they took made their bond even stronger than it had already was.

Each day was happy, and would only get happier. Sakura would get over losing Shirou's heart, content to just stay by his side and cook with him. Rider would continue to protect Sakura, spending her days reading and hanging out at the Copenhagen with Neko and Mitsuzuri. They would always have a place at the Emiya house. After the events on his wedding day, Shirou was again pressured to get a cell phone. Buckling under pressure he finally got one. It took him a whole week to learn how to use it.

Fujimura Taiga continued to live in her grandfather's house and run the Fujimura-gumi when not working at the Homabura high school as a home room and English teacher. However she would always find time to barge into Shirou's house and eat his food. Tohsaka Rin continued studying magecraft, often disappearing into her home for days at a time. She never used her Kalaidoscope again.

Arcueid and the rest of the Tohno family continued to live in Miyama, thought they always kept in contact with Shirou and visited whenever they could. When they did, Kohaku was not allowed to plan the card games.

Narbareck disappeared off the grid and rebuilt the Burial Agency. To this day no one knows her location. Ciel still drops by about once a year, Shirou always keeps a stock of curry on hand for just such an occasion. Shirou never saw Merem Solomon again, but occasionally Sakura would swear she saw a white rat hanging around outside her window. Although when he or Rider went to investigate there was never anything there. Nobody ever saw Enhance again either, though Arcueid would always say that he was too stubborn to die and was probably still alive somewhere, killing Dead Apostles as he found them.

Shirou and Saber lived happily in the Emiya house. Shirou got his job back at the Copenhagen and works there with Mitsuzuri and Neko, though Neko was prone to taking a day off and leaving the store to the two of them while she played around. Saber meanwhile protected the house, proudly introducing herself as Emiya Arturia. Completely dropping her identity as Saber, everyone knew her as just a normal girl. She would often disappear to the park and play games with the children there, she became well liked among them. So much so that she became famous around town, becoming known as "Fuyuki's Lioness".

Time goes forward, never stopping and we all walk our own paths along it's roads. We set out on a path we forge ourselves, and sometimes we meet up with people who's paths intersect with ours. Bonds are formed, lost, and then formed again. Life is a journey that we all must take, however it is not about what lay at the end. What really matters is what paths we take and who we meet along the way. The destination does not matter what tiny bit, it is how we get there that really makes us who we are. The choices we make define us. Forget what lies behind and walk forward under the clear blue sky.

**END**


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